The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes have completed a long rumored trade. The Leafs have acquired defenceman Tim Gleason from the Hurricanes in exchange for defenceman John-Michael Liles and defence prospect Dennis Robertson.
Liles was on the ice at Michigan Stadium, warming up for the Winter Classic (even though he was a scratch) when news of the trade came down.
Liles, 33, started the season with the Toronto Marlies in the AHL. He has only played six games for the Leafs this season, and has been rarely used for two years under Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle. He has two years remaining on his contract, at an annual cap hit of $3.875 million.
In 627 career games with the Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche, Liles has scored 77 goals and added 236 assists for 313 career points.
Gleason, 30, has played 17 games for the Hurricanes this season, recording one assist. He also has two years remaining on his contract, at an annual cap hit of $4.0 million.
Gleason has scored 15 goals and 113 assists for 128 points in 616 career games with the Hurricanes and Los Angeles Kings.
Robertson, is playing his senior season at Brown University where he is the team’s top defenceman. He was the Leafs 6th round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. He has three goals and eight points in 12 games so far this season.
In the move the Hurricanes are getting the superior puck-moving defenceman and a player who can play on their powerplay, while the Leafs are getting a better defender, and more physical player who will better fit the team’s philosophy under Carlyle.
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