On the afternoon of Wednesday, May 20th around 4p ET, David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period tweeted that the Washington Capitals and defenseman Timothy Liljegren were close to finalizing a two year deal that would carry an AAV of $3.25 million per season. At 427p ET, the Capitals confirmed the news of Liljegren’s signing.
Liljegren, 27, was acquired by the Capitals from the San Jose Sharks at the NHL Trade Deadline on March 6th, 2026 for a 2026 4th round pick. However, the Kristianstad, Sweden native would only play in four games for the Capitals after being acquired.
Liljegren is mostly being signed as insurance for the blue line after fellow Swedish defenseman Rasmus Sandin had knee surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee in late April that will keep him out 6-9 months. However, Liljegren also has experience with Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery from their time together with the Toronto Maple Leafs when Carbery was an assistant coach for two season from 2021 through 2023. Liljegren also being a right-handed shot was a big reason for his signing as the Capitals need to bolster the right side of their defensive corps. Before his injury, Sandin, a left-handed shot, was playing on the right side.
Going into the 2026-27 season, it will be interesting to see where Liljegren will get slotted into the lineup, and what type of role that he will play for the Capitals. With fellow right-handed shot defenseman Trevor van Reimsdyk an unrestricted free agent, and his future status with the Capitals unknown, the Capitals will need to continue to evaluate what additional moves they will need to make. Plus with the NHL Draft coming up in late June with Free Agency quickly following days later on July 1st, it’ll be interesting to see what those moves the Capitals will make before Training Camp begins in September.
Feature Photo taken by Michael Lindenbaum/TXHT Hockey.
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