The NHL is Back, 113 Day Long Panic Attack: Over.

Claus Andersen/Getty Images

Congratulations everyone, the NHL lockout is over. I know a lot of you said you would never come back and that "enough is enough" (I flirted with the idea myself) but let's not kid ourselves, you're wearing your Toronto Maple Leafs hat, boxers and socks right now, just like me. Now that the handshakes are over and meaningless apologies have been handed out it's time to start doing what we all do best: bitching about the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The newest $15 million dollar man: John-Micheal Liles

Bernard Weil, Toronto Star

Today, John-Micheal Liles was handed a 4 year $15.5 million dollar contract (per TSN.ca). This comes just after the news that he is primed to return from a concussion he received December 22nd vs. Buffalo; a scary thought. While Liles has filled in admirably for long time Leaf Tomas Kaberle since his arrival, this comes as somewhat of a surprise.

Many Leaf fans thought that Liles would receive a pat on the butt as a sign of thanks at the end of the season while heading out the door, thus making room for a couple of young defenders that seem primed to take over for him, Jake Gardiner and Cody Franson. It would seem that this move to re-sign the 31 year old makes one of Gardiner and Franson expendable, and for a Leafs defense that has struggled much of the season, this is worrying.

Do the Leafs really, really need a "number one" centre?

Photo cred: Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press

Apparently the Toronto Maple Leafs are in desperate need of a "humongous big number one" centre - per every single person that gets paid a good amount of money to talk about them. I'm going to go ahead a disagree with that. While it is true that the Leafs need to get stronger up front, as they get pushed around like a bunch of Timbits when they play a strong team, i.e the Boston Bruins. Getting bigger and tougher shouldn't be the most pressing need in the organization, it should be preventing goals against.

My dad can beat up your dad: John-Micheal Liles vs. Cody Franson edition

Nobody is better then me.

The other day on Twitter I had a little Tweet explosion comparing John-Micheal Liles to Cody Franson, I figured i may as well write up what was said as it wasn't very understandable. I have also since changed my view point slightly. 

On the surface the two Maple Leaf defensemen look like similar players, both considered offensive guys that are not that particularly great at defense, similar to Tomas Kaberle. But one of them has to be better right? Who do you want to put on in the last minute of a one goal lead, if you had to chose one?

How did we come across these two defensemen? John-Micheal Liles was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche for a 2012 2nd round pick, not bad for the most handsome guy in the league. Cody Franson, as you all know, was apart of the historical trade that sent well known pylon Brett Lebda to Nashville.

Now that they are both playing for the Leafs I get to scream at my TV when they do something wrong, and high five my friends when they do something right. But who is the better defenseman? Let's take a look a little deeper into their play, this year and last.

Cody Franson: To play or not to play, that is the question

One thing I think all Leafs fans have suppressed from their memories already is that Brett Lebda played "defense" for the blue and white last year, that is because, somehow Brian Burke hoodwinked Nashville's GM David Poile to take him off our hands. In return we received Matt Lombardi, who's brain wasn't fully functional yet after a hit that sidelined him for 80 games last year, and Cody Franson the "soft" offensive defenseman, who actually was a pretty damn good hockey player for the Preds in 10-11.