Just as Kevin Weekes predicted, a Philippe Myers extension was indeed in the works. Today, the Maple Leafs made it official, announcing a two-year extension worth $850,000 per season.
Brad Treliving has taken this route a few times — namely, extending Simon Benoit and Bobby McMann in-season to cheap contracts — and continued it with another low-risk deal for Myers that carries virtually no risk.
At a $850k price tag ($75k above the league minimum), Myers can be sent down to the AHL without any financial penalty against the Leafs‘ salary cap, so it’s tough to criticize anything about the commitment. The contract represents pure upside for the Leafs, which is why it makes sense to do this now. If Myers continues playing the way he is, he will be worth a lot more money, but from the Leafs‘ perspective, this was only worth rushing to do if they could lock in a risk-free contract for a player who is still somewhat raw and unproven.
Myers, who will turn 28 in January, was signed last summer coming off of an excellent season in the AHL.
Phil Myers was among the best even-strength defensemen in the AHL last year. An excellent depth signing that fits what the Leafs want at 6-foot-6. Myers had a cup of coffee with the Marlies in 2022 on loan, too. If he's the guy he was last year, he can push for NHL minutes. pic.twitter.com/v7rS1V7pU1
— Kyle Cushman (@Kyle_Cush) July 2, 2024
He carried it over to the Leafs‘ camp this past fall, making the final roster and sticking around as the #7. Now seeing regular action with the Leafs on a pairing with Morgan Rielly, Myers has played in 11 games, averaging a respectable 17:08 in the process, with 1:34 of it coming on the penalty kill, where he has shown himself capable so far.
Mayers has two assists in those 11 games, along with 12 shots on goal, but his game is predicated on playing physically and defending well; he’s provided that without taking a penalty so far.
Alongside Rielly, the pairing has won its minutes pretty well across the board. In 128 minutes together at five-on-five, they are up 4-3 in goals while controlling over 54 percent of shot attempts and nearly 60 percent of the expected goals.
It has taken Myers a long time to reach this point, but he appears comfortable within his role and knows his identity in the league: He makes simple plays, gets in the way with his body and reach, and moves the puck just well enough not to impede the play going cleanly up ice. At 6’5, he skates quite well, and he’s not awkward in possession of the puck.
Offense is not the centerpiece of his game, nor will it ever be, but Myers isn’t shy to shoot, and he did once score four goals and 16 points in 50 games in the NHL before adding three more goals in the playoffs for the Flyers back in 2019-20 (including a playoff OT winner).
Myers has only played 169 games in the NHL — first making it in 2018(!) — and sometimes it takes time not just to figure out your body at his size but then learn the league on top of it. He’s still working on the second part, but it is coming together.
If Myers simply maintains his current level of play, the deal is an absolute steal. A steady five-on-five, right-handed, second-penalty-killing unit defenseman who can play regularly at under $1 million is really good value.
If Myers slowly trends down and is purely a depth defenseman on a cheap contract, there’s really nothing wrong with it. A team always needs serviceable defensemen who can provide spot duty.
If Myers’ play eventually falls apart, there’s no financial burden on the Leafs’ cap books.
Looking at this long-term, Myers is now the Leafs’ sixth — arguably seventh — defenseman already under contract through next season.
He joins Jake McCabe, Chris Tanev, Morgan Rielly, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Simon Benoit as defensemen already signed for next season. Marshall Rifai also received a two-year extension that kicks in next season, making $775,000 per season for two years. That could be a group of seven right there, all signed and accounted for. Conor Timmins will be a restricted free agent, so the team also has some level of control over him as well.
It does feel like something will eventually have to give. While this has been a solid defense unit overall, it is an older group, and with McCabe-Tanev paired up, they don’t have a second pairing they can comfortably count on as a top-four quality second pair every other night in the playoffs. But that’s more of a question for the top of the lineup than for extending Myers at a depth-defenseman price.
This is just good business for Treliving and Leafs management to lock up a big defenseman who is showing signs of finally putting together his skill set to be a solid NHL player at a dirt-cheap price. Again, if it doesn’t work out, it’s no harm, no foul. It’s hard to find anything wrong with this move.
