Report: Leafs testing market for Liljegren trade

The Toronto Maple Leafs are working to find a trade partner for defenseman Timothy Liljegren, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Liljegren signed a two-year, $6-million contract over the summer but was a healthy scratch for Wednesday's season opener against the Montreal Canadiens. Toronto also put him in the press box for a playoff contest last spring.

Neither the player nor the team is happy with the current situation, Friedman notes.

The Maple Leafs signed Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson over the summer to reshape their blue line, but Liljegren was beaten out of a spot on the bottom pairing by Conor Timmins out of training camp.

Liljegren notched 23 points in 53 regular-season games in 2023-24, averaging a career-high 19:40 per contest. He was a first-round pick in 2017 before becoming a regular in the Leafs' lineup during the 2021-22 campaign.