New Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Darren Raddysh said that it was a no-brainer to join the team he grew up cheering for.

Speaking to reporters on Monday afternoon, Raddysh spoke about the process of becoming a Maple Leaf and said that it’s something every Toronto kid grows up dreaming of.

“To come back home and play for the Maple Leafs, it’s a no-brainer.” Raddysh said.

It was especially special for Raddysh, who grew up attending Leafs games with his late father, who passed away in March of this year. He spoke fondly about the opportunity to make his Dad proud and what it means to play for his favourite team.

“It means the world, my brother and I grew up being Leafs fans, we’d go with our dad to watch the games,” Raddysh said. “To put that jersey on and to be able to play in front of the home fans, it’s awesome. Lots of friends and family have already texted me and are excited.”

Raddysh is the latest Toronto native to return home and play for his childhood team, with John Tavares and Chris Tanev being the most recent to do so on the current roster. Raddysh said that a couple of people have reached out to him and he’s looking forward to meeting the rest of the team and forming chemistry early.

“Playing in Toronto is something you always dreamed about as a kid,” Raddysh said. “Especially playing in the GTHL, you’re always watching the Leafs games on Saturday nights. Everyone wants to come back here and it’s super exciting to have that opportunity.”

The 6-foot-1 defenceman also spoke fondly of new general manager John Chayka, confirming that the two had known each other going back to their junior hockey days. He said that they see eye-to-eye on a lot of different things, including the importance of analytics.

“I knew John from when I was in Erie, he was with Dylan Strome a lot and he would come down and watch practice,” Raddysh said. “He’s an analytic guy and that’s something that I like to pride myself in too, is making sure you’re doing all the right things. And I believe that if you do that then good things will come. I think he sees the same way. He’s excited about this team, he’s excited to get the team back to where it needs to be. There’s a lot of good moving pieces coming, it’s an exciting time.”

The Maple Leafs had a busy week what was ultimately capped off with the acquisition and extension of Raddysh, and things aren’t expected to slow down as the team heads into the NHL Draft on Friday night.

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