Excellent signing by the Leafs.
Matt Martin 6' 3'' 220 lbs with very good wheels
Martin is the #1 Hitter in the NHL over the past 4 years or so.
Matt Martin:
“In terms of being a protector, I’m not sure if that’s the right word. I want to go out and be effective. In talking
to the Leafs, I think I can play their game, not just fight. But I’m not someone who likes liberties being
taken with my teammates. I’m there to free up space to help them.”
“Mike factored into my decision. He’s been so successful throughout the years with the Red Wings. I’ve
watched players emerge under his style, such as Justin Abdelkader there and Leo Komarov here. It appealed to
me in that sense that you can bring your game to another level. It’s what we all want as players.
“He has that demeanor behind the bench that won’t help just me, but help all of the young players in our
organization to improve.”
Lou Lamoriello :
“Certainly, he has size and strength and we feel his skating is very good. I’ve had the experience of (his New Jersey)
teams play against Matt a good number of years. Our staff liked him, our coaching staff liked him and that was
the most important thing.”
Lamoriello shrugged off the price and term. He was probably looking for a stay-at-home defencemen as well, such
as Kris Russell or James Wisniewski, but this was a lean year for such prizes and the Leafs still have to be careful
with cap space.
“Everything that happens these days is too much money. I don’t see many contracts that weren’t too much money
(in Friday’s jaw-dropping opening hour of free agency $334 million was spent). But when you feel there’s a need and
there’s a short supply and you don’t mind the best player available for that, then you
have to make that decision.”
http://www.torontosun.com/2016/07/01/leafs-sign-matt-martin-to-ride-shotgun-for-youngsters