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NHL trade rumors: $6M Toronto Maple Leafs D-man on chopping block despite extension
The Toronto Maple Leafs signed a two-year extension worth $6,000,000 with defenseman Timothy Liljegren on June 30. However, it seems his future might still be uncertain in Toronto, as per NHL insider Chris Johnston.
On an episode of the Chris Johnston Show, the analyst discussed the Toronto Maple Leafs' ongoing plans during free agency. He mentioned that the team intends to sign more depth players and is monitoring the situation with Nick Robertson.
Johnston then went on to share his thoughts on the possibility of trading Timothy Liljegren. According to him, Liljegren could still see a trade this offseason despite his recent two-year extension.
“We’ll see if Timothy Liljegren maybe still gets traded. I know he was signed to a two-year extension but I don’t think you can entirely rule out a trade in his circumstance yet. They’re still going to keep chipping away at the roster,” Chris Johnston said.
Chris Johnston believes Toronto Maple Leafs will trade away players due to salary cap constraints
While speaking on his podcast on July 4, Johnston reiterated his thoughts about a potential Liljegren trade and why it still remains in the cards. He mentioned that the Leafs might consider trading players like David Kampf, Calle Jarnkrok, or Liljegren if the right deal arises.
“They would look at moving Kampf, Jarnkrok, or Timothy Liljegren in the right deal,” Johnston said. “I should be very clear, that is not to say they are trying to get rid of them at all costs, but I think that because of the Leafs’ salary cap, they are pretty tight up against it.”
He clarified that the team isn't desperate to offload these players but must navigate tight salary cap constraints. Johnston also said that the Leafs' blueline and goaltending have seen changes, and they might need creative solutions to address any further changes at forward.
“Really, at this point of the off-season, they blueline looks different, obviously made the moves in net. But, I think they will have to get creative to address any changes they want to make at forward,” Johnston said.
What might come off as a surprise, or maybe not, is that Timothy Liljegren's new contract doesn’t include any trade protection. According to Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, the Toronto Maple Leafs new front office led by Brad Treliving isn't fully sold on Liljegren yet.
“Liljegren’s new contract has zero no-trade protection, according to the source. The Brad Treliving front office isn’t exactly enamored with Liljegren, not yet anyway,” Siegel reported.
With all the rumors swirling around the player, Liljegren has yet to make a statement since his extension. It is clear that the D-man wanted to continue with the team and hence he put pen to paper just one day before he hit free agency.
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