The Toronto Maple Leafs have taken care of some contract business on Monday, signing defenseman Timothy Liljegren to a two-year contract extension worth $1.4 million per season. Drafted 17th overall in the 2017 NHL draft by the Maple Leafs, he was a pending restricted free agent (RFA) prior to signing this new deal.
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As per popular analytics Twitter account Jfresh: “Timothy Liljegren, signed 2x$1.4M by TOR, had a terrific rookie season, putting up very strong underlying results in a third-pairing role. This extension is a no-risk and possibly very high reward if he can maintain these results in bigger minutes.” He’s known to be more of a puck-carrier than a puck-mover and does a lot of things well. The expectation is he’ll jump up in minutes per game, last season averaging just under 20 minutes.
According to PuckPedia, Liljegren will earn $1.3-million in salary in the first year and $1.5-million in salary the second year. He will remain an RFA with arbitration rights at the completion of this deal and will require a $1.5-million qualifying offer. At that time, he will be two years away from unrestricted free agency and potentially be in a position to sign a deal as a major part of the Maple Leafs’ blue line corps.
Liljegren played in 61 games last season scoring five goals and 23 points while playing in two playoff games. He was tied for 11th place in Calder Trophy voting.
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