In a season that ultimately ended in disappointment for the 2022-23 Tampa Bay Lightning, Darren Raddysh ended up being one of the more pleasant surprises during the season. His performance likely earned himself a spot on the Lightning’s blue line going forward and Tampa Bay now has a player on their hands that they may not have been sure they had before.
Around the time of the trade deadline when the Lightning traded away Cal Foote and Vlad Namestnikov, most presumed they would then look to add a defenseman with the cap space that had become available. General Manager Julien BriseBois ultimately elected to believe in what the Lightning organization already had on hand and decided to use the available cap space to recall Raddysh from the AHL and he took advantage of his opportunity.