The addition that changes everything for the Vancouver Canucks

Darren Raddysh looks ready to hit the open market, and the Lightning may not be able to keep their breakout blueliner.

Jason Gregor relayed the read from Tampa insider Erlendsson, who expects Raddysh to test free agency this summer.

The reasoning is simple money. What he could command on the open market versus what Tampa can offer is the whole reason he'll roll the dice.

And the case for the payday is real. Erlendsson said the hard shot was always there, but Raddysh worked on his accuracy and his defending, and got much better in his own zone.

That improvement earned him ice time, and ice time is where the breakout happened.

The full quote walks through exactly how the door opened for him in Tampa.

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Edmonton, Toronto and Vancouver could all come calling

Here's how he seized it. Raddysh was in and out of the lineup early, then Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh got hurt in the same game, with Erik Cernak going down a few games later.

The injuries forced him in, and he didn't leave. Hedman played just 33 games and McDonagh 48, and Raddysh filled the void and ran with it.

The numbers are eye-popping for the price. He put up 70 points with a plus-21 on a $975,000 cap hit, including 26 power-play points. That's elite value, and it won't stay cheap.

So who comes calling? Teams expected to be active this summer figure to at least kick the tires, and Edmonton, Toronto and Vancouver all fit that bill.

Treat that as a market read, not reported interest. Edmonton could use a power-play piece behind Evan Bouchard. Toronto's blue line needs help. Vancouver has the cap space a rebuild affords.

Here's my read, and it's a caution. A 70-point defenseman always gets paid in July, but a chunk of that came on the power play and through injuries opening the door. Buyer beware on whether it repeats at full price.

Still, offense from the back end is the rarest currency in the sport. Someone will pay, and they'll talk themselves into the breakout being the new normal.

Tampa's cap is already stretched thin behind Nikita Kucherov's deal. Keeping Raddysh at his new number may simply be impossible.

Whoever signs him is betting the leap was real. That's the gamble waiting at the open market.

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