TSN's Bob MacKenzie is reporting that the Leafs have extended John-Michael Liles for four years at $3.875M per. We don't know about any potential NMC/NTC.

The upside of this deal is that Liles' cap hit decreases though given his age and term (though it likely should have), and he's been a valuable part of the Leafs this season. My issues surrounding this deal are:

  • Between Liles, Luke Schenn and Mike Komisarek the Leafs are spending $12M for #4, #6 and #7 defenders on a team that has a lot of trouble on defense. Obviously Komisarek is the boat anchor there but that's tough to swallow.
  • Offensive production for 35 year olds is horrific. If Liles can't be buried in the minors due to an NMC and if his contract isn't mega front loaded for a future trade then it's not great.

So, is someone on the move in Toronto?