After losing Mikhail Sergachev last year, and losing the likes of Ryan McDonagh and Victor Hedman this year due to injury, the Tampa Bay Lightning didn't wasn't any time in formulating another top tier defensive pairing with J.J Moser and Darren Raddysh. The two have been clinical, key, and intangible, and look like something special in Tampa Bay.
During the Tampa Bay Lightning's reign of success during the 2019-2023 season, the defensive pairing so Mikhail Sergachev and Victor Hedman and Erik Cernak and Ryan McDonagh were pairings that were vital for their dual Stanley Cup success, and fast forward almost six years later, they have formed what could be one of the NHL's best pairings at the moment.
Darren Raddysh was a part of the Bolts Stanley Cup successes, however was never really in that elite role, and didn't see much of the ice, but when he needed to step up the most, whether that is even strength or on the power play, Darren Raddysh has evolved into somebody untouchable for Tampa, and that's not to mention how great he is becoming with time.
Alongside him is J.J Moser. Fresh off a new long term deal in Tampa, his transition from the sunny skies of the west in Arizona, to the sunny south of Tampa Bay has been effortless, and is somebody who every team overlooked, and is now paying the price. Moser who was picked up in the trade involving Mikhail Sergachev prior to the 2024/25 season was a guy who every Coyotes fan was extremely high on, but his departure from Utah never shook anybody, but now it is. A player who was barely recognisable on the ice to most three years ago is now beginning to come one of the best parts of a seriously good pairing, and just like Raddysh, he has stepped up when called upon the most, and has earned every thing he has got so far.
With Hedman out, Raddysh has gone on to be a force on the power play that nobody really expected. Scoring his first hat trick the other night, Raddysh is now one of the highest point scoring defenseman in the NHL, battling with the likes of Cale Makar and Zach Werenski. It is hard to see Raddysh maintain that PP1 spot when Hedman returns, but what he has earned during his stint as that number one guy is going to speak volumes in the near future, and whether this short stint paves the way for him to become and elite NHL defenseman, it has done more than you can imagine to his career.
With how successful the Bolts have been over the last few years, it seems they have just got things right again. Having Moser and Raddysh playing to a much higher level than expected, the Lightning continue to put the pieces in the right place, make things work when they are in sticky situations, and unleash potential they never knew that had, but for Tampa, the biggest thing is that the future on the blue line is bright, and for this season, they have a real force that will be hard to crack.