John-Michael Liles Reviving Career for Colorado Avalanche

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 to turn his game around. No longer was he making glaring turn overs in the defensive zone, nor was he being healthy scratched for impending UFA's like Brett Clark and Ruslan Salei. The defining moment in the turn around was his overtime game winner in a crucial game against the San Jose Sharks in which the Avs coughed up a 4-2 lead.

Heading into the 2011 season, it appeared that Liles had at least gotten his confidence back, and could be a competent third pairing defenseman who would see his usual power play time.

Instead, the play from Liles has been borderline unfathomable.

Through the first three games of the season, Liles has emerged as Colorado's horse on the back end, leading all defensemen in ice time and blocked shots, as well as leading the team in points and plus-minus. His five assists are tops in the NHL.

Frankly, the points are secondary. What's important is that Liles has been the Avalanche's most prolific defenseman in the transition game—one of the team's biggest down falls—while being component enough in his own end.

The defense is and will remain the area most in need of improvement for the duration of the 2010-2011 season, but if Liles can continue to play like a poor man's Scott Neidermayer for the rest of the season, it'll go a long way into getting Colorado back into the Western Conference Playoffs.

But he's disappointed before.