Should the Maple Leafs Bring the Raddysh Brothers Home?

There are hockey moves that make sense on a spreadsheet, and then there are hockey moves that make you smile a little. The idea of the Maple Leafs bringing Taylor Raddysh to Toronto to play with his older brother, Darren, is a bit of both.

The hockey part actually makes sense. Taylor is a 28-year-old winger who has shown he can score, play with some physicality and get involved in the dirty areas of the ice. He has a reasonable contract. And with the Rangers having a crowded forward group, there’s at least a logical reason to wonder whether he might become available.

But then there’s the other part. The Raddysh brothers grew up Maple Leafs fans in Caledon, Ontario. Now Darren is wearing the Maple Leaf, and there’s a possibility Taylor could join him. That’s pretty neat.

Sometimes a Hockey Decision Can Be About More Than Hockey.

Now, let's be careful here. The Maple Leafs shouldn't acquire Taylor Raddysh simply because he's Darren Raddysh's brother. That would be a pretty silly way to build a hockey team. John Chayka has spent the summer building a roster with specific qualities. More speed. More physicality. More defensive responsibility. More players who can handle the kinds of games that tend to show up when the calendar gets into April.

If Taylor Raddysh fits those requirements, then there’s a hockey argument for bringing him in. And if he happens to be Darren’s brother, well, that makes the story a whole lot more fun.

There’s something about brothers playing professional hockey together that never gets old. They grew up playing the same game. They probably dreamed about this as kids. Now, years later, they could actually do it. And they could do it wearing the sweater they grew up watching.

Related: Do the Maple Leafs Finally Have Room to Experiment?

Maybe Sometimes the Dream Really Does Come True.

As a fan, this is what catches me. We spend an awful lot of time talking about NHL players as contracts, cap hits, draft picks and roster pieces. That's necessary. That's the business.

But every once in a while, there’s a reminder that underneath all those numbers are people who grew up with hockey dreams just like everybody else. Imagine the two Raddysh brothers walking onto the ice at Scotiabank Arena together in Maple Leafs sweaters. That wouldn't make Taylor a better player. It wouldn't make the Maple Leafs a better team on its own.

But if Taylor is already a player Chayka believes can help this roster, why not let the human part of the story matter too? The Maple Leafs don't need to manufacture fairy tales. They need good hockey players.

If the Fit Works, Why Not Make the Maple Leafs Dream a Reality?

But sometimes, if you build the hockey team properly, a pretty good fairy tale comes along with it. And honestly, there would be something awfully nice about watching two kids from Caledon who grew up dreaming about playing for Toronto finally getting the chance to do it together.

That's not the reason to make the trade. But it might be one heck of a reason to smile if the hockey reason is already there.

Related: The Maple Leafs On Paper vs. the Maple Leafs On the Ice