Maple Leafs extend qualifying offers to Robertson, Liljegren, Dewar and Steeves

The Toronto Maple Leafs and the rest of the NHL had until 5 PM Eastern Time to extend qualifying offers to their pending restricted free agents. If they chose not to quality a player, they would become an unrestricted free agent and hit the open market Monday at noon.

With less than an hour to go before the qualification deadline, The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman both reported that the Maple Leafs signed Timothy Liljegren to a two-year extension worth $3 million annually, avoiding arbitration in the process. It was a surprise to most observers, but the Maple Leafs have one fewer defenceman to target Monday and the team confirmed Liljegren’s extension shortly after the news initially broke.

 

With Liljegren locked up, the focus now shifts to the other three players who received qualifying offers: Nick Robertson, Connor Dewar and Alex Steeves, who will need a new contract next season. The player can either accept their qualifying offer or try and work out a new contract with general manager Brad Treliving and company.

Let’s start with Nick Robertson: the 22-year-old forward was finally able to play more than 40 games in a single season, split between the AHL and NHL, after battling several injuries for the past few years. He began the year with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, playing in nine games, while recording 11 points before being called up by the Maple Leafs. Robertson played in 56 games for the Maple Leafs, recording 14 goals and 27 points in limited minutes.

Connor Dewar, acquired from the Minnesota Wild ahead of the 2024 trade deadline, was a sneaky good pickup by Toronto. At just 25 years old, Dewar is a versatile bottom-six forward who is a key part of the team’s penalty kill. In 74 games split between the Wild and Maple Leafs, he scored 11 goals and added eight assists for 19 points. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Dewar. Will he accept his qualifying offer, or will both sides try and work out a contract extension that could keep him in Toronto for the foreseeable future?

Finally, we move to Alex Steeves: the 24-year-old has yet to make a permanent mark on the Maple Leafs’ team but has entered seven games over the past three seasons. He has been a full-time Marlie, where he has found a lot of success, and it is truly just a matter of time until he becomes a regular in the bottom-six for the Maple Leafs.

(Stats from Hockeydb.com)