Capitals acquire Timothy Liljegren from Sharks
The Washington Capitals have acquired defenseman Timothy Liljegren from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick.
Liljegren, 26, has one goal and 11 points while averaging 20:08 of ice time in 43 games with the Sharks this season. TSN’s Chris Johnston was the first to report the news of the impending trade on Friday afternoon.
The Sharks originally acquired Liljegren from the Toronto Maple Leafs early in the 2024-25 season. The 6’1″ right-shot defenseman is a pending UFA who currently carries a $3 million cap hit for the rest of the year.
🚨 Trade To #ALLCAPS Timothy Liljegren 26 y/o D, Yr 2/2 @ $3M - UFA To #SJSharks '26 4th - VGK WSH adds $3M net cap hit puckpedia.com/trade/1108?69a…
The Maple Leafs originally selected Liljegren in the first round (No. 17 overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft. Liljegren appeared in parts of six seasons with the Maple Leafs to begin his NHL career, spending plenty of time with current Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin during his tenure.
Liljegren appeared in just one game with Toronto to start the 2024-25 season before being traded to the Sharks in exchange for Matt Benning, a 2025 third-round pick, and a 2026 sixth-round pick.
In 307 career NHL games over parts of seven seasons split between the Maple Leafs and Sharks, Liljegren has collected 21 goals and 93 points while averaging 18:14 of ice time. He’s added one assist in 13 career playoff games.
Early on Friday morning, the Capitals agreed to trade Stanley Cup-winning defenseman John Carlson to the Anaheim Ducks. Liljegren could become one of the candidates to take on some of Carlson’s responsibilities for the rest of the season.
With just 19 games remaining in the 2025-26 regular season, the Capitals currently sit four points outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture with a 31-25-7 record and 69 points. Conversely, the Sharks are currently three points back of the final wild card spot out West with a 30-25-4 record and 64 points in 59 games.