Frustrating doesn't begin to describe John-Michael Liles career as a member of the Avalanche.
Once considered one of the best young defensemen in the league, Liles scored 127 points in his first three NHL seasons, including a 14 goal, 49 point season in 2006.
2008 was the start of the struggles for JM Liles. He set career lows in goals (six), points (32), and plus-minus (+2). At the time, many speculated the Avalanche would part ways with the impending un-restricted free agent Liles (a common theme in the years to come), but instead now-defunct Avalanche General Manager Francois Giguere signed Liles to an inflated four-year, 16.8 million-dollar contract.
In the two years that followed, Liles seemed to succumb to mediocrity. In 2009 he was able to score an impressive 12 goals, but the Avalanche finished last in the Western Conference, and Liles was a horrendous minus 19. Last season, when the Avalanche became competitive again, Liles role diminished so much that he was a healthy scratch multiple times throughout the season, finishing with only 59 games played.
But after surviving another February trade deadline, Liles suddenly seemed t ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by James Crider
John-Michael Liles Reviving Career for Colorado Avalanche
October 13th, 2010 by James Crider Leave a reply »
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