PensBurgh · Dec 12, 2021
The curious case of Letang’s pending contract
Kris Letang skates against the Seattle Kraken on Dec. 6, 2021.The Maple Leafs’ No. 1 defenseman, Morgan Reilly, was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2021-22 season. Instead, in the first month of the campaign, Toronto locked Reilly down for eight years with a $7.5 million AAV contract.
Since signing on October 29, Reilly is tied for third among all NHL defensemen with 15 assists in 19 contests as of December 9.
Reilly was already good. But midseason contracts, especially major ones like this, can boost your franchise by giving a vote of confidence to your team and your best defenseman.