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NHL Notebook: Capitals extend Timothy Liljegren to a two-year deal
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Ryley Delaney
May 21, 2026, 18:00 EDTUpdated: May 21, 2026, 17:45 EDT
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There are just four National Hockey League teams remaining.
For the 28 other teams, the 2026 off-season has essentially kicked off, at least in terms of extending players. Well on Wednesday, the Washington Capitals announced that they’ve extended right-shot defenceman Timothy Liljegren to a two-year deal with an annual cap hit of $3.25 million.
Liljegren played just four games for the Capitals after they acquired him from the San Jose Sharks for a fourth-round pick. The Swede was held pointless in those four games, but for the season, he scored a goal and 11 points in 43 games.
In 2024-25, also with the Sharks, Liljegren scored six goals and 17 points in 67 games, matching his career high in the goal department. The right-shot defenceman hasn’t quite panned out to be the defenceman he was projected to be before he was drafted.
Liljegren fell all the way to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2017 draft, as they selected the right-shot defenceman 17th overall. Beginning his career with the Original Six franchise, Liljegren scored 14 goals and 65 points in 197 games over six seasons. His season with the Leafs also included his career year, where he scored five goals and 23 points in 61 games during the 2021-22 season.

Cale Makar missed Game 1

The Conference Finals kicked off on Wednesday evening, with the Vegas Golden Knights defeating the Colorado Avalanche 4-2. That said, the Avalanche were without one of their best players, Cale Makar. Prior to the game, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told the media that Makar was out and is listed as day-to-day.
It’s a big loss for the Avalanche, as Makar is widely regarded as one of the best defencemen in the league. A Norris Trophy finalist, Makar scored 20 goals and 79 points in 75 games this season, down from his 30 goals and 92 points in 80 games in 2024-25. 
Makar has five points through nine games, with four of those points being thanks to goals. In the Avalanche’s seven games in the 2025 post-season, Makar had one goal and five points. It hasn’t been since the 2024 playoffs that he sat above point-per-game, when he scored five goals and 15 points in 11 games.
In turn, the Avalanche fell 4-2 in Game 1, with Game 2 on Friday with a start time of 6:00 p.m. MT.

Sabres re-sign Lindy Ruff

As you know, the Buffalo Sabres made the post-season for the first time since 2011, and won a playoff round for the first time since 2007. Well, their head coach, Lindy Ruff, earned himself a two year contract extension.
Ruff has been in hockey his entire life, playing from 1979 until 1993, then immediately jumping into coaching. This stint with the Sabres is the second of his career, as he joined the team for the 2024-25 season. After a rough first season back, Ruff led the Sabres to their first playoff appearances in over a decade and a half.
Funnily enough, Ruff was at the helm of the Sabres the last time they made the playoffs. Ruff also led the Sabres to their first and only Stanley Cup Finals in just his second year as their head coach.
The 2000s Sabres were hit or miss, making back-to-back conference finals in 2005-06 and 2006-07, but failing to get out of the first round again. After a 6-10-1 start to begin the 2012-13 season, Ruff was fired.
Following his firing, Ruff spent four seasons at the helm of the Dallas Stars, then parts of four seasons with the New Jersey Devils before he was once again fired.

Memorial Cup tournament begins on Friday

In our last NHL Notebook, we looked at how the Kelowna Rockets, Everett Silvertips, and Kitchener Rangers punched their ticket to the 2026 Memorial Cup. Well, with a 5-1 victory over the Moncton Wildcats on Sunday, the Chicoutimi Saguenéens won the Gilles-Courteau Trophy.
This is the Saguenéens’ first Gilles-Courteau Trophy since 1993-94, the second victory in a span of four years. The 1994 Memorial Cup saw the Saguenéens fall to the Laval Titan in the semifinals. In 1991, they fell in overtime to the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the semifinals.
The 2026 Memorial Cup begins on Friday, with the hosts, the Kelowna Rockets, taking on the Rangers. On top of opening the tournament, the Rockets also play the last game of the round robin in an all-WHL match-up against the Silvertips on May 27th.
If needed, the tiebreaker between the bottom two teams will be on May 28, with the semi-final coming the following day. The 2026 Memorial Cup will be awarded on May 31.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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