On January 25th the Toronto Maple Leafs announced they were signing veteran defenseman John-Michael Liles to a four-year $15.5 million contract extension, and with that announcement came more rumors that defenseman Luke Schenn was going to be on the trading block. We have already discussed the good, bad and the ugly of trading Luke Schenn, with the majority of Leaf fans feeling that, if the return was great enough, i.e.: a top-six forward, then Burke would have their blessing to trade Schenn—a player that was thought to be untouchable as little as last season. In the case of Schenn, at just 22-years of age, he has tremendous upside. To a team in need of a legitimate top-four defenseman with the ability to be a top-tier defenseman one day, Schenn offers hope that he can evolve into that stud defense-first D-man.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that they have signed veteran defenseman John-Michael Liles to a four-year, $15.5 million contract. The contract averages out to $3.875 million per season, which is a pay cut from his current salary which pays him $4.2 million this season. At 31 years of age, Liles’ new contract looks to be on-point for his combination of veteran leadership and abilities. Through 34 games, Liles has four goals and 17 assists for a total of 21 points. Over 557 career NHL games, Liles has scored 72 goals (including 35 power play markers), adding 224 assists for a total of 296 points. Originally drafted in the fifth round (159th overall) of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Liles was acquired via trade from the Colorado Avalanche over the summer for the nominal price of a second round draft

Having sat out four straight games, Toronto Maple Leafs rookie defenseman Jake Gardiner has officially been assigned to the Maple Leafs AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies Sunday afternoon. Gardiner shocked many when he made the big club straight out of training camp, followed by an impressive stretch of games which saw him register ten assists through 37 games this season, while posting a respectable minus-1 rating. Known as an offensive defenseman, Gardiner uses his skating and hockey sense to outwit opposing forwards, while also possessing the ability to make a quick first pass. Originally drafted in the first round (17th overall) by the Anaheim Ducks, Burke was able to bring Gardiner to Toronto late last season as part of the Francoise Beauchemin deal. Originally expected to make the team by the All-Star break, Gardiner’s solid play led to the big club

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke was a guest on the Fan 590’s Prime Time Sports on Wednesday night. Interviewed by long-time host Bob McCowan, Burke addressed a number of issues, including the teams depth (which Burke believes to be strong), the odds of the Maple Leafs adding a veteran goaltender (not likely) and the likelihood of Burke making a deal before the trade deadline. On the topic of trades, Burke lamented that he was currently “in conversation with clubs” and felt that, with “something on the burner” a deal should be able to get done. Make no mistake about it, Burke was not commenting on making a deal for a depth player, what he was referring to was a deal of significance, which has the Leaf Nation wondering what teams Burke has been talking to? With so many

With 41 games in the books for the 2011-12 season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have officially met the halfway point of the season. After a fast start, the Maple Leafs stumbled a bit in November before bottoming out with just four wins in December. Still, having earned 47 points in their first 41 games the Buds are on pace to earn 94 points on the season, which would put them nine points ahead of last years pace of 85 points and right on the cusp of a playoff spot. With the Buds still in a playoff position at the halfway point (seventh overall in the Eastern Conference) most Maple Leaf fans will take it, for better, or for worse. On special teams, the Maple Leafs made huge strides on the power play, going from 16th overall with a 16 percent

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke sent pugilist Colton down to the AHL to play with the Toronto Marlies on Thursday, and with him, a message that all is not well in the NHL, at least not according to Burke. Burke spoke to the media Thursday, airing out what he feels is a total lack of accountability by the “rats” in the league. “If you want a game where guys can cheap shot people and not face retribution, I’m not sure that’s a healthy evolution,” Burke said Thursday. “The speed of the game, I love how the game’s evolved in terms of how it’s played. But you’re seeing where there is no accountability, this is the byproduct… is people running around that won’t back it up.” Burke’s comments come at a time when the NHL is making a huge transition