TORONTO

Maple Leafs sign Windsor native Matt Martin to four-year deal

The Canadian Press Published Friday, July 1, 2016 4:58PM EDT

NHL profile photo on New York Islanders' Matt Martin at a game against the Calgary Flames in Calgary, Alberta on Feb. 25, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Larry MacDougal

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The Toronto Maple Leafs added a big, physical piece to their forward group by inking Matt Martin to a four-year deal on Friday.

The deal carries a reported US$2.5 million cap hit for the six-foot-three winger.

Martin has led the league in hits for five-straight years, dishing out with 365 last season or about 4 1/2 per game.

Martin also chipped in offensively for the New York Islanders' highly-regarded fourth line, scoring a career-high 10 goals while also adding nine assists.

Leafs head coach Mike Babcock suggested last season that the club would look to add more grit and physicality in the summer -- Martin the obvious fit to that need.

Martin, a Windsor, Ont., native, was the 148th overall pick of the 2008 draft.