Maple Leafs Rumors: Timothy Liljegren's Name Is "Out There" In Trade Talks

There will be plenty of changes coming for the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer. With a new coach in tow now in Craig Berube, they will get to work on rebuilding the blueline, among other things.

According to hockey insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, Timothy Liljegren's name is already out there in trade talk.

Following up on the #LeafsForever talk we had on @NHLNetwork last hour, don’t be surprised to hear D Timothy Liljegren’s name pop up in trade discussions this summer. He’s an RFA in July, but some early chatter his name is out there, too.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) May 17, 2024

Liljegren fell out of favour with the coaching staff on several occasions during the past season, being scratched for one of their seven playoff games, and just not completely earning their trust most of the year, not elevating his game at the age of 25 as so many in the Leafs organization had hoped.

The Swedish d-man is entering restricted free agency this summer with arbitration rights, so it's entirely possible that the Leafs won't be interested in the raise that will come with that, and would prefer to deal him in order to add more size and grit to the backline instead.

Liljegren did finish with a career-best 20 assists, and 23 points in 55 games with a +3 rating (though that is down significantly from the +24 he posted last season and the +15 he generated in his rookie year).

Logging a full 19:40 of ice time per night, and recording 116 blocked shots, there will be some interest in the blueliner on the trade market. It will be intriguing to watch how the Leafs deal with his future.