Michael Bunting wasn't the only Leaf who received Calder Trophy votes
Surprisingly, the most common opinion about the Leafs after yet another 1st round loss is that they are "right there". It's not just the fans that feel this way, as Auston Matthews used those exact words after the Buds were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 back in May.
While there are certainly things to feel down about if you're a Leafs fan, there are also a lot of things to feel good about, including (but not limited to) Auston Matthews' historic season, the emergence of Michael Bunting as a legitimate top-6 forward, a vastly improved power play (1st in the league this season), and the growth of young defensemen Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren.
The two young Swedes represent what could very much be the future of the Leafs' blueline. Sandin, unfortunately, dealt with significant injury issues this season, which cut his year short. He was able to work his way back to full health, but not before the playoffs were under way. Unfortunately for the 2018 1st rounder, he did not see any playoff ice this year due to the fact that the Leafs faced yet another early exit. Liljegren, on the other hand, appears to have earned a ton of respect for his exceptional two-way play this season.
Liljegren showed his versatility and poise all year, spending time on the 3rd, 2nd and top pairings this season, performing well no matter who he played alongside - though he did appear to really excel alongside veteran Mark Giordano.
It wasn't just Leafs fans who took notice of Liljegren's stellar rookie campaign, as he actually earned some Calder Trophy votes - 4 to be exact. Abbey Mastracco had Liljegren 4th on her Calder card, and Dom Luszczyszyn, Scott Powers and Tom Timmermann each had Liljegren 5th on their cards.
Liljegren is a pending RFA who does not qualify for salary arbitration, so he doesn't exactly have a ton of negotiating power. He's likely going to be signed to a short term bridge deal, which may not be a whole lot higher than his qualifying offer, but if the Leafs can find a way to clear out some cap space this summer, it might be a smarter idea to to try to lock him up long term now, while his market value is still relatively modest.
| POLL | ||
22 JUIN | 393 ANSWERS Michael Bunting wasn't the only Leaf who received Calder Trophy votes How should the Leafs address Timothy Liljegren's contract this summer? | ||
| 1-year qualifying offer | 81 | 20.6 % |
| 2-3 year bridge deal | 221 | 56.2 % |
| 4-5 year deal | 51 | 13 % |
| Long-term extension (6-8 years) | 40 | 10.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
