Leafs re-sign RFA defenseman to a multi-year deal

The 23-year-old Swede took a massive leap forward in his development in 2021-22, playing in 61 games for the Buds, splitting his time on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd pairings, anchoring the right side.

Liljegren was drafted by the Leafs 17th overall in 2017. Since then, he has spent most of his time with the Toronto Marlies, where he won a Calder Cup in 2018. This past season the Leafs gave him the ball, and he ran with it. His play got noticeably better when he was paired with Mark Giordano later in the season. Liljegren will be looking to take another big step next season.

In his first season in the NHL, Liljegren posted 23 points and finished 11th in Calder Trophy voting.

With the Leafs now having locked up one of their exciting young Swedish defenders, the attention will now turn to the other, Rasmus Sandin. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Sandin signs an identical deal to the one signed by Liljegren.

There are still some questions that need answers on the blue line in Toronto, like will Justin Holl be back? Will the Leafs look to move on from Jake Muzzin now with Rielly, Sandin and Giordano manning the left side? Will the Leafs instead look to package Sandin in a deal for an upgrade at another position? It stands to reason that our questions will have answers in the next 2 and a half weeks, as we approach the draft and free agency.