Liljegren extension gives Leafs surprising value on the blue line

The Maple Leafs signed defenceman Timothy Liljegren to a two-year, $2.8 million contract extension.

Video Transcript

- Timothy Liljegren is going to be a Leaf for another two years, signing at 1.4 per, which, not going to lie, is a pretty sweet deal. I mean, being an RFA, I don't think he was going to command a lot. But when you think of the Leaf's cap situation, and what they're setting up on the blue line, and the fact that him and Giordano are probably going to play together, that has the working of the being, one, a pretty cheap pairing, but also very effective one.

I mean, when Giordano first came and, you know, and Sheldon Keefe played them together, it was pretty interesting to see that instant chemistry, and it was interesting to see Liljegren kind of enhance his game a little bit further. Granted, there were some mishaps and errors here and there, and there is a reason why Sheldon Keefe thought it was more important to play him in the playoffs over Justin Holl. We're not going to talk about that.

But I think the interesting thing is, what is this going to do for his development over the long term? He did have a quote after being signed, saying how next year is a big year for him. And it is. I think all the blue lines or the pairings, I think, are wide open. And I really do think Liljegren will have every opportunity to get that spot in the top four and be a consistent force, presence for the Leafs on the blue line. And they need him to be.

I mean, you know, killing penalties and carrying the puck is one thing, but he's had some issues handling bodies in front of the net, picking up plays along the boards. So these two years, I think, will be very, very important for him to show that. Now, on the other hand, if he ends up, like, coming out of his shell and really standing out as a solid defense for the Leafs, a solid number four, and he's only making $1.4 million, that's Michael Bunting energy, man.

I mean, like, Michael Bunting kind of came out of nowhere, and then he ended up scoring 23 goals and he's only making $150,000. So if you have Liljegren in a very important role making that little, that's pretty frickin' sweet. And that can be another way in which they can kind of just refine the blue line a little bit. So I'm a big fan of the deal, and I'm a big fan of the signing, but, I don't know, I think there's a lot more work that Dubas needs to do.

But for the first kind of big signing of the off-season for the Leafs, I think Dubas nailed this one.