A former Toronto Maple Leafs first-round pick will get one more shot to prove he belongs in the NHL.
We’re talking about the much-maligned Timothy Liljegren. The 27-year-old signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract with the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.
Liljegren was the Maple Leafs first-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. The right-shot blueliner was once considered a top-10 pick. However, a tough draft year hurt his stock. He eventually landed on Toronto’s lap at #17 that year.
At the time, the thought was that Liljegren would be a top-pairing defenseman of the future. While he got every chance to prove it, he didn’t quite catch on.
After playing just one game for the Maple Leafs following a puzzling contract extension in 2024 from Brad Treliving (gasps in shock), the organization cut ties with Liljegren. To Treliving’s credit, he fleeced the San Jose Sharks, getting veteran defenseman Matt Benning and two draft picks for the Swedish blueliner.
The Sharks sent Liljegren to the Capitals at this year’s trade deadline for a 2026 fourth-round pick. In DC, he joined another former Maple Leafs first-round defenseman, Rasmus Sandin. The duo has rekindled the promise they offered Toronto at one point.
Liljegren is naught more than a depth defenseman at this point in his career. But he will get one more kick at the NHL can. If he can prove he can really blend with the Capitals, he might just get one multi-year deal before his playing days are done.
Liljegren had tumultuous history with Maple Leafs
Liljegren’s time with the Maple Leafs was tumultuous to say the least. There were high expectations on him being a potential partner for Morgan Rielly. At the time, Rielly was still one of the better young blueliners in the league. But he needed another young, equally reliable defense partner.
Liljegren made sense. As a right shot, Liljegren could have balanced the equation on the Leafs’ top pair. However, Liljegren’s defensive game just didn’t quite mesh. He showed a lack of physicality and just couldn’t develop his offensive side to compensate for his lack of defensive skills.
The situation descended to the point where Liljegren’s playing time and role in the food chain slipped. The defender became uneasy about the lack of clarity within the organization, reportedly asking for a trade.
Instead of trading him, Treliving extended him. There was an expectation that he would get one more shot to stick with the Leafs. But a subpar 2024 training camp doomed him.
It was too bad because Liljegren was a missed opportunity for the organization. Grabbing a promising young blueliner in the middle of the first round seemed like a good idea at the time. But sometimes things just don’t work out. Perhaps Liljegren may find a home in Washington, potentially helping him reach the ceiling everyone thought he had.
Add us as a preferred source on Google