Maple Leafs’ Timothy Liljegren Undergoes Hernia Surgery, Out At Least Six Weeks
Training camp isn’t off to a strong start for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
As camp opened Wednesday, general manager Kyle Dubas announced a slate of injuries to four players: forwards Pierre Engvall, Michael Abramov, defenseman Timothy Liljegren and goaltender Joseph Woll.
Liljegren’s injury is being reported as the most severe of the group as he recently underwent surgery to repair a hernia, sidelining him for at least six weeks. He’ll be re-evaluated after that point.
With the 23-year-old defenseman out indefinitely, he’s likely headed to the long-term injured reserve ahead of the 2022-23 season. That’d provide the Maple Leafs with much-needed relief as they’re currently over the $82.5 million salary cap by approximately $1.49 million.
Toronto inked Liljegren to a two-year, $2.8-million contract extension over the summer, buying out two restricted free-agent seasons. The right-hander’s deal carries a $1.4-million cap hit per season, and he’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency after 2025-26.
The 6-foot blueliner, who was selected 17th overall by the Maple Leafs in 2017, emerged as a full-time regular in the NHL last season. He posted career-highs in games played (61), average ice-time (16:24 minutes), shots on goal (79), goals (five) and points (23).
Liljegren finished 11th in Calder Trophy voting in 2021-22, with one fourth-place and three fifth-place votes. The youngster was expected to open the season in a bottom-four role on Toronto’s blueline.
The injury to Liljegren could potentially intensify contract negotiations with teammate Rasmus Sandin, who’s currently holding out for a new deal. The 22-year-old remains a restricted free agent and reportedly turned down multiple offers during the off-season.
Sportsnet’s Luke Fox reported in August that contract talks had hit a standstill, with his agent Lewis Gross saying, “Negotiations are going nowhere.” Fox also noted that Toronto was hoping to sign Sandin to a two-year, $2.8-million bridge deal – one similar to Liljegren’s.
Sandin, a 29th overall selection in 2018, is just one season away from gaining arbitration eligibility. But with the Maple Leafs down to five healthy defensemen, that could pressure Dubas and his staff to reach a rapid solution.
Similar to Liljegren, Sandin was a key part of the club’s backend in 2021-22, and figures to take another step forward this season. But that can only happen if he comes to terms on a new contract.
Since the NHL is returning to a regular schedule this season, Toronto has until Dec. 1 to sign Sandin before he becomes ineligible to play in 2022-23. And it’s not like the organization hasn’t flirted with that deadline before, as William Nylander went down that road before signing his six-year deal at the last minute in 2018.
Last season, the left-hander appeared in a career-high 51 games, averaging 16:58 minutes of ice-time per night. He finished with five goals, 16 points, 88 hits, 46 shots on goal, 39 blocks and 18 takeaways – all were career-highs.
The Maple Leafs will kick off the preseason on Saturday with a pair of split-squad contests against the Ottawa Senators.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: The AHL. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.