Report: Maple Leafs dangling some of their D-men in trade talks

The Toronto Maple Leafs have talked to other teams about some of their defensemen, sources told The Athletic's James Mirtle.

The recent emergence of Timothy Liljegren appears to have created a bit of a logjam on Toronto's blue line. The 22-year-old Swede has played at least 17 minutes in back-to-back games, posting an expected goals share of 91.7% in those two contests - best among Leafs defensemen, per Natural Stat Trick.

Liljegren has only played 17 career games with the Leafs, but if he continues to establish himself as a legitimate NHLer, that would give Toronto seven capable blue-liners.

Veterans Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, and T.J. Brodie all have full no-trade clauses - and Rielly just inked an eight-year, $60-million extension - so it's unlikely any of them are being floated in trade talks.

That would leave Liljegren, Rasmus Sandin, Travis Dermott, and Justin Holl.

Liljegren and Sandin - the Leafs' first-round picks in 2017 and 2018 - are both in the final season of their entry-level contracts. In addition to their youth and upside, their affordability is valuable to the cap-strapped Leafs.

Holl has been a healthy scratch in back-to-back games in favor of Liljegren. Dermott, meanwhile, didn't play the final 10 minutes on Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings while the Leafs were defending a lead.

Dermott, 24, has two years left on his contract with a $1.5-million cap hit, per CapFriendly. Holl, 29, also has two years remaining with a $2-million cap hit. His deal includes a 10-team no-trade list.

Holl has played top-four minutes for the Leafs in each of the last two seasons and was protected in the Seattle Kraken expansion draft. Dermott has predominately played third-pairing minutes in his career - occasionally moving up in the lineup when injuries struck. He was left unprotected in the expansion draft and Seattle opted to take forward Jared McCann from Toronto.

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