Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren got a taste of the NHL this season and is hoping to earn a permanent stay at the top level next year.

"That's my goal, to be with the team all year," Liljegren told TSN's Mark Masters in an interview April 16. "Once you get those games in, you just want to be out there every day, so that's where I'm focusing now, to work hard and to eventually be out there (for) a full year."

The 20-year-old played 11 games in the NHL this season. He averaged 10:18 minutes of ice time per contest and recorded one assist.

Liljegren spent the majority of his time in the minors during 2019-20. He played top minutes with the AHL's Toronto Marlies and recorded five goals and 25 assists in 40 games.

"I think I was pretty consistent," Liljegren said of his AHL season. "I think I started off pretty good and then I just kind of kept it on the same level and just got better every week, every game. Eventually, I got that NHL debut against Chicago and it was a dream come true. ... Once you get that first game, you just want to play more games. Once I came (back) down to the Marlies after that first game, I just tried to work harder so I could go up there again."

Liljegren was slotted behind Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci on the right side of the Leafs' defense while up at the NHL level. However, both veteran defensemen are impending free agents.

With a potential opening on the blue line up for grabs next season, the Swedish defenseman understands that his game still has room to grow.

"Just keep working on everything, basically," Liljegren added. "Just get stronger to be able to hold onto guys in the defensive zone. Just try to work on playing the same type of game I play with the Marlies, (but) up in the NHL, to get that confidence to be able to do that."

Liljegren was selected 17th overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2017 NHL Draft.

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Consider Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie on board with neutral-site games if the NHL deems that a viable solution to its hiatus.

"I want to play. It doesn't necessarily matter too much to me where it is," Oshie said Monday, according to The Athletic's Tarik El-Bashir. "Obviously, North Dakota is probably the No. 1 place I'd want to play in the world, so that would be amazing.

"But with our team and with just how much effort, not only us and myself personally but everyone in the league puts forth during the regular season, all the blocked shots, all the injuries, all that stuff, that all is geared toward getting in the playoffs and having a chance to raise the Cup, and to not have that possibility is a hard pill to swallow. So if it's a neutral site, if that's what you have to do to have a chance to win a Cup, I'm all for it."

Multiple cities have contacted the NHL about hosting games since the league shut down March 12. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; Manchester, New Hampshire; and Grand Forks, North Dakota - where Oshie played for the University of North Dakota from 2005-08 - are all reportedly interested.

At the time of the shutdown, the Capitals occupied first place in the Metropolitan Division with 90 points through 69 games. Oshie had recorded 26 goals and 23 assists.

He put up 21 points in 24 playoff games to help the Capitals win the Stanley Cup in 2018.

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Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's national hockey writer.

Sean O'Leary and Josh Wegman of theScore join today's show to compete in a lighthearted game of NHL trivia. Categories include individual awards, Stanley Cup winners, nicknames, and miscellaneous.

Subscribe to Puck Pursuit on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Spotify.

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St. Louis Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo admitted his status as one of the NHL's top unrestricted free agents this offseason has been complicated by the coronavirus stoppage.

"There are so many variables that you can bring into this that you don't really know," Pietrangelo told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. "There are so many unknowns. We were thinking about it for a while; my wife and I certainly had some discussions between us. But it certainly gets pushed aside when you’re sitting at home chasing around these little rug rats all day. I've got family members going through it right now - they're being laid off, they're not being able to work the same way they were a few months ago."

Pietrangelo's seven-year, $45.5-million contract is set to expire after the 2019-20 season, barring an extension. It's unclear if the NHL will be able to resume the current season, and it's also not clear when the free-agency period could begin and what the salary cap will be for the 2020-21 campaign.

On top of the league's uncertainties, the Blues' cap situation as they try to retain their leader is equally complicated. St. Louis has over $79 million committed to next year's roster against a salary cap that is unlikely to grow substantially from this season's $81.5-million limit.

Pietrangelo is poised for a considerable raise over his current $6.5-million cap hit, and general manager Doug Armstrong also needs to sign promising blue-liner Vince Dunn, a restricted free agent.

Pietrangelo was in the midst of a Norris Trophy-caliber season when the league shut down, posting 52 points in 70 games for the Central-leading Blues. Last postseason, the 30-year-old averaged over 25 minutes per game en route to claiming the Stanley Cup.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets signed forward Mikhail Grigorenko to a one-year deal for the 2020-21 season, the team announced Monday.

It's a $1.2-million contract, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Grigorenko spent the last three seasons with the KHL's CSKA Moscow. While Friedman reports he received better offers to stay in the KHL, Grigorenko wanted to try to make a comeback in the NHL.

The 25-year-old spent five seasons in the NHL after the Buffalo Sabres drafted him 12th overall in 2012. He managed 22 goals and 42 assists in 217 games while playing for the Sabres and later the Colorado Avalanche.

In the KHL, Grigorenko posted 46 goals and 116 points in 147 games. He captured the Gagarin Cup with CSKA Moscow in 2019 and won a gold medal at the 2018 Winter Games with the Olympic Athletes from Russia.

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The Edmonton Oilers were poised to make their second playoff appearance in 14 years before the season was suspended in March, and general manager Ken Holland is finding it hard to come to grips with the disappointment.

"From Dec. 31 on we played at a high level and I think everybody was excited," Holland said, according to TSN.

"We positioned ourselves so that we controlled our own fate, believing that we were going to play our way into the playoffs and when you get to the playoffs, you never know," he added. "When you look at the recent results of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, you can throw the regular season stats out the window and it's wide open.

"So I think that's the disappointment of not being able to continue on, but certainly we all understand what's going on in the world today."

With the season on pause, Edmonton sits second in the Pacific Division and would hold home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. Over half of the club's roster - including blue-chippers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl - have skated in 15 or fewer playoff games, and Holland understands how crucial a late-season period like this is for his inexperienced team.

"The 11 regular-season games that were coming up were going to be really valuable for our young players, and we were hopeful we could play our way into the playoffs and then again you play another two weeks and you hope to move onto the next series," he said. "So those are very, very valuable times for all players and for a team."

Holland, who the Oilers hired last May, also expressed how important a postseason run would be as he evaluates his new roster.

"We're trying to obviously build a program here and identify players that we want to go forward with and also identify roles for the team," he noted.

"The young players (Kailer) Yamamoto, Ethan Bear, and Caleb Jones, and I probably missed one or two. Those were the really young players that these games were of the utmost importance in their long-term development," Holland continued.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has said the league is doing its best to explore all options to resume the season, which includes playing games without fans and hosting contests at neutral sites.

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Wayne Gretzky is confident the NHL will find a way to overcome its current coronavirus-induced pause and resume the 2019-20 campaign in a few months.

"I really believe somehow, someway, that the leadership in this country and in Canada, that we’re going to figure this out," Gretzky told The Canadian Press. "And I really believe that we’ll see hockey and some sort of other sports in June, July, and August, albeit in a different way, but I really see it coming to fruition. I think it’s going to happen."

The NHL halted business operations March 12, and has stated teams will play games into August if they have to. The league is currently weighing numerous scenarios, including how to determine a fair postseason format for teams on the playoff bubble, and whether neutral-site games are feasible while considering border closures and travel restrictions.

It's evident there are plenty of hurdles for the NHL to clear before a potential return, but Gretzky remains positive.

"Maybe I’m wrong," Gretzky said. "Maybe I’m too optimistic. I think I’m not. I hope that that’s a good sign for everyone that we’re moving on in life, in business, in sports. I really see in the next couple months something good happening."

All major sports leagues around the world remain shut down for the foreseeable future. The PGA Tour is the only organization to unveil its contingency plan, recently announcing a return to action without spectators for June 11.

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