The Maple Leafs' Biggest Bet Isn't Matthews. It's Raddysh

There is a lot of attention being paid to Auston Matthews in Toronto. That's understandable. He's the captain, the superstar and the player making $13.25 million a year. But when I look at the Maple Leafs' new roster, I think there's another player who represents a surprisingly important bet. Darren Raddysh.

Not because he's more important than Matthews. He isn't. Toronto has made a very large commitment to a player based largely on the player he just became. That's always an interesting thing for a hockey team to do.

Toronto Is Betting the Breakout Wasn't a Fluke.

Raddysh is 30 years old and coming off a remarkable 22-goal, 70-point season. Toronto responded by giving him an eight-year contract worth $8.5 million per season. If that's the player Raddysh has become, the Maple Leafs may have found exactly what they needed.

They needed offence from the blue line. They needed a defenceman who could move the puck and contribute on the power play. They needed someone who could take some of the offensive pressure off their forwards. Raddysh can potentially do all of those things.

But there's another way to look at the contract. Toronto isn't really paying him for his career. It's paying him for the player he became last season and the player the organization believes he will remain. That's the gamble.

If the 70-point season is the beginning of something, this could eventually look like a very smart contract. If it turns out to be the high point of his career, Toronto has committed $8.5 million a year to finding that out. And that's a pretty big bet.

Related: Is There a New Maple Leafs Core Four on Defence?

And Then There's Emil Andrae and What He Might Become.

This is where I think the other side of the story gets interesting. Emil Andrae is making just $1.55 million. He's 24 years old, and he doesn't have anything close to Raddysh's offensive résumé. But in some ways, Andrae may be almost as important to the long-term success of this defence.

That's because Raddysh is the expensive bet. Andrae is the inexpensive hope. If Andrae develops into a legitimate NHL defenceman, Toronto suddenly has a younger player who can take on more responsibility as Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev and Jake McCabe get older.

Toronto would love Andrae to become good enough that the Leafs don't have to keep replacing older defencemen with expensive veterans. That's a very different kind of pressure. And maybe that's what makes this blue line so interesting.

Andrae Could Change the Whole Maple Leafs Calculation.

The Maple Leafs have spent a lot of money on experience, but they're also hoping that one inexpensive young player can eventually give them some flexibility. Raddysh has to prove that last season wasn't a one-off. Andrae has to prove that he can become part of the next version of this defence.

If both things happen, Toronto's bet starts looking pretty smart. If Raddysh regresses and Andrae doesn't develop, the Maple Leafs could find themselves with an expensive blue line that gets older without getting better.

And that's why, for me, the biggest bet on this Maple Leafs team isn't always the player everyone is talking about. It's Darren Raddysh and Emil Andrae.

Related: William Villeneuve Is Just Waiting for His Chance in Toronto