Could Raddysh and Rielly Become an Odd Couple That Works?

Sometimes the best defence pairings aren't the ones that look perfect on paper. Maybe that's what makes the Morgan Rielly-Darren Raddysh pairing worth watching. Through the first couple of games, Rielly has actually looked pretty good defensively. Raddysh, on the other hand, has looked a little less comfortable in his own end.

That's not exactly what the Maple Leafs had in mind when they paired these two. But maybe it could work anyway.

The Maple Leafs brought in Raddysh to add offence from the back end.

Toronto didn't bring in Raddysh to be another Morgan Rielly. They brought him in because he can move the puck, create offence, and make things happen from the back end. Rielly has spent much of his career being asked to do a little bit of everything. So maybe the two can eventually figure out a pretty simple arrangement.

Rielly handles some of the defensive work. Raddysh gets himself into the attack. It's not complicated. Hockey rarely is, until it is. Another part of this has nothing to do with systems or defensive coverage. Raddysh is suddenly playing under a microscope.

He spent most of his career under the radar. Even after his breakout season in Tampa Bay, he wasn't exactly somebody everybody in the hockey world was talking about every night. Now he's in Toronto. And he's got a big contract. That's a different world.

Every mistake gets noticed. Every bad shift gets replayed. And when a player signs a big contract, people start expecting the contract to show up on the ice immediately.

Maybe we haven't talked enough about what Raddysh is probably adjusting to.

That might also be where Rielly can help him. Not necessarily by giving him advice or playing the role of mentor. Just by being beside him. Rielly knows what it's like to play defence for the Maple Leafs with everybody watching. He's been doing it for years. If Raddysh is going to be the offensive defenceman in this partnership, having a partner who is comfortable absorbing some of the defensive responsibility could make his life a little easier.

And there is something kind of funny about that. For years, Rielly has sometimes been criticized for not being enough of a defensive defenceman. Now maybe the Maple Leafs need him to be exactly that. Meanwhile, Raddysh gets to do what Toronto brought him here to do.

We’re early yet. The Maple Leafs don’t have to have it together immediately.

It's only two games, so there's no reason to start drawing conclusions about the pairing. But that's the fun part of the early season. You get to watch these little experiments unfold.

Go figure, maybe Raddysh and Rielly are the perfect match. Maybe they're an odd couple that eventually figure out they actually work pretty well together. So far, surprisingly, so good.