Prior to Benoit signing his extension, the Leafs had just 3 NHL defensemen,
Morgan Rielly,
Jake McCabe and
Conor Timmins, under contract for next season. Now, with Benoit in the fold, that makes 4. If the Leafs can come to terms on a new deal with pending RFA defenseman
Timothy Liljegren, that will round out the top 5, leaving Brad Treliving to fill only one roster spot on the blueline. With
T.J. Brodie, Mark Giordano,
Ilya Lyubushkin and
Joel Edmundson all on expiring deals, getting Benoit locked up beyond this season was a vital piece of business that needed to be addressed. Thankfully, Treliving didn't wait to lock up a key piece for his blueline, and after publicly stating on a number of occasions this season that he'd love the opportunity to sign an extension and remain a Toronto Maple Leaf, Benoit got what he wanted, turning his 1-year deal into a longer-term situation with some security.