Maple Leafs won't part with Liljegren, Sandin for rental asset: report

It appears the Toronto Maple Leafs won’t invest further futures into a postseason run this spring.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Hockey Night in Canada’s “Headlines” segment that while the Maple Leafs are exploring the rental market for help, they will not part with top defensive prospects and first-round selections Timothy Liljegren or Rasmus Sandin to land a potential impact player on an expiring deal.

He notes that the Maple Leafs won’t trade another first-round pick to acquire immediate assistance, either, having already dealt their top selection in 2019 to acquire Jake Muzzin from the Los Angeles Kings.

Friedman believes the Maple Leafs are interested in Carolina’s Micheal Ferland, or a player with a similarly heavy and uptempo style. Toronto has been keeping an eye on Carolina but as Friedman notes, the Hurricanes may opt to tag Ferland as an internal rental as they continue to push toward the wild card spots in the Eastern Conference.

Ferland is up to 14 goals and 28 points this season in 46 games with the Hurricanes.

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