John-Michael Liles is ecstatic he’s found a home in the “centre of the hockey universe.”

So much so, he may even have left money on the table.

Toronto “is a place that’s grown very dear to my heart,” Liles said in a conference call Wednesday, “a place I was excited about getting traded to (last) summer. We have a team that can do some special things.”

Liles, 31, signed a four-year, $15.5 million contract extension with the Maple Leafs. The slick skating and passing defenceman is currently sidelined with what he terms “concussion-like symptoms” stemming from a neck injury.

His salary averages out to $3.85 million, down from a cap hit this year of $4.2 million.

“I’m not looking at it like I’m taking a pay cut. I look at it like I’m taking a salary to stay where I want to be,” said Liles, who has a limited no-trade component. “It is the centre of the hockey universe. It’s a place where I’ve really enjoyed playing. It’s going to be a sellout every night. Hockey is going to be covered. For me, it’s been fantastic.

“It’s a special feeling when (GM Brian Burke) traded for me, knowing he wants me here for years to come. You could say I left some (money) on the table. I’m not looking at it that way.”

Liles hasn’t played since Dec. 27, but he hopes he’ll be ready for Tuesday’s game in Pittsburgh. He had skated all week in practice, but took Sunday off. He said it was a maintenance day.

“We were going pretty hard for four or five days. There was a day where I didn’t feel as good. We decided to take a day off and go day-by-day up until the break,” said Liles. “I don’t want to term it a concussion. It’s been a bunch of different factors. We’ve been working on my neck.”

Liles has four goals and 17 assists in 34 games, averaging 21 minutes, 32 seconds of ice time. His signing is sure to ignite another round of trade speculation. The Leafs have six defencemen under contract for 2013, with Cody Franson and Keith Aulie both restricted free agents.

“We have a very good defence corps,” said Liles. “We have a good mix of puck movers, guys who can shoot and guys who can hit. Having so many is not a bad thing, guys fighting for spots and fighting for playing time. I think it brings out the best in guys.

“When injuries do happen, you have that depth and that’s a good thing coming down the stretch and into the playoffs.”

The Leafs have four players due to become unrestricted free agents on July 1: goalie Jonas Gustavsson, centre Mikhail Grabovski and wingers Joey Crabb and Darryl Boyce.