Defenseman signs a two-year contract extension with Maple Leafs
According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Toronto Maple Leafs have extended defenseman Timothy Liljegren’s contract for two years at a cost of $6 million, as they continue to make inroads with their pending free agents.
Liljegren will be covered by the deal for the remainder of his RFA eligibility, with an average yearly value of $3 million.
Liljegren was selected by the Maple Leafs with the 17th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, capping what has become a memorable first-round selection. After the draft, Liljegren moved to the NHL, making his debut in 2019 and eventually earning a daily role by 2021. He joined the North American pros right away.
As a rookie, he scored 23 points in 61 games; however, a hernia and a high ankle sprain have both limited his play in the last two years. Despite missing games, Liljegren had a fantastic season this year, matching his rookie scoring total of 23 points in just 55 games.
Averaging 19:40 minutes of ice time, he also played in a much more dominant role after playing on Toronto’s third pairing for the previous two seasons.
Liljegren was able to avoid the bottleneck that developed at the bottom of Toronto’s depth chart with more ice time. In the second half of the season, the Leafs relied on a long list of depth defenders, including Conor Timmins, William Lagesson, Simon Benoit, and the recently acquired Ilya Lyubushkin.
Fortunately, since Joel Edmundson and Lyubushkin are both scheduled to become free agents, things ought to get clear quickly. However, Liljegren will be under pressure from the person who secures the position behind him. Liljegren can now concentrate only on securing as big of a lineup role as possible, as he is signed to a contract that will see him through his UFA years.
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