Toronto Maple Leafs Should Re-Sign These 5 Free Agents

Timothy Liljegren

Timothy Liljegren has his share of haters, but for the most part, the fan frustrations with Liljegren stem from his 37 giveaways.

There's a lot to like about Liljegren, but he needs to clean up his turnovers. He has three goals and 20 assists for 23 points in 52 games.

Liljegren is averaging 19:40 minutes of ice time and has 115 blocked shots and 81 hits. Overall, his stats are very good for a 24-year-old.

He also seems to have earned the coaches trust and has been one of the Leafs most played defenseman in recent games.

Liljegren has posted great third pairing numbers and now appears to be transitioning into an effective top-four defenseman for the Leafs. He is soft in his own zone and has issues with big-bodied forwards, but he's also one of the only above average puck-movers on the Leafs current blue-line.

As for re-signing him, Liljegren is a pending RFA, so the Leafs control his contractual rights. He is making $1.4 million a season on his current deal. Since his new deal would be entering into UFA years (2026) for Liljegren, the Leafs might need to pay more if they want him to sign long-term.

A new contract worth $2.5 million - $3 million for 4-5 years is a possibility and could give the Leafs a really valuable team-friendly contract.

Overall, the Leafs have a lot of work to do this summer, and a lot will depend on how things go this spring, but locking in some of their support players and curbing the annual turnover would be a great thing for this team.