Maple Leafs’ Timothy Liljegren Ought to Be Focused By Geese amid NHL Commerce Rumors

The Anaheim Geese’ common season is not set to kick off till Saturday, and the commerce deadline is sort of 5 months away. Nonetheless, it isn’t too early for common supervisor Pat Verbeek to contemplate including gamers in-season who might assist the franchise long-term.

Often, the listing of commerce targets is solely hypothetical at this level within the season, however Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren might find yourself on the commerce market before later.

In keeping with Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, Toronto was keen to entertain commerce affords earlier than the 25-year-old went to arbitration throughout the offseason. He has executed little to solidify his standing with the group since.

“The Leafs had been open to buying and selling Timothy Liljegren in the summertime as the specter of arbitration loomed,” Siegel wrote on October 4. “They finally introduced him again on a two-year deal. He has already fallen down the depth chart and possibly even out of the opening evening lineup.”

Certainly, Liljegren was a wholesome scratch for Toronto’s opener in opposition to the Montreal Canadiens, and the hypothesis surrounding him has not dissipated.

“Seems like Toronto is working to discover a touchdown spot for Timothy Liljegren. He is down the depth chart, not a state of affairs anybody is pleased with,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman wrote on Wednesday.

As Friedman famous, neither Liljegren nor the Leafs are probably happy with the way in which issues have unfolded. The seventeenth choose within the 2017 draft was anticipated to be, if not a centerpiece participant, at the very least a daily contributor.

But after seeing a rise in taking part in time every of the previous 4 seasons—Liljegren averaged just below 20 minutes—the previous AHL All-Star seems to be again in a pure depth function.

That is in all probability not the place the Swede anticipated to be at this level in his profession, and Toronto in all probability does not love the prospect of paying $3 million yearly to a spare defender over the subsequent two seasons.

Now, as Bleacher Report’s Lyle Richardson just lately famous, it is in all probability too early within the yr to actively store Liljegren as a result of “They will have to maintain him as insurance coverage in case accidents sideline a right-shot defenseman like Chris Tanev and Jani Hakanpää for a prolonged interval.”

Nonetheless, that does not imply Liljegren will not be accessible effectively forward of the commerce deadline. If he’s, Anaheim needs to be very .

The Geese are clearly in a reloading stage. They received simply 27 video games final yr and have not been to the postseason since 2018. Nonetheless, Verbeek hasn’t restricted his rebuilding efforts to the draft alone.

Although Anaheim did little in free company, it tried to make a splash transfer, in keeping with The Athletic’s Eric Stephens.

“The Athletic discovered from league sources that the Geese made huge affords to Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, each of whom in the end signed in Nashville. The Geese took their swings. They simply did not join,” he wrote on July 1.

Whereas focusing on Liljegren would not quantity to a house run effort, it could make a ton of sense. He is been held again by restricted alternatives greater than poor play in Toronto, and he is nonetheless younger sufficient to change into a constructing block for a group comparable to Anaheim.

The Geese have a dependable proper defenseman in Radko Gudas, however it might present Liljegren with alternatives early and infrequently. With $20.6 million in cap house accessible, Anaheim can definitely afford to take a flier on a former first-round choose getting into his taking part in prime.

The unknown, after all, is what Toronto will need in return. The Geese aren’t precisely loaded with fascinating commerce chips they’re seeking to unload—although David Pagnotta of The Fourth Interval reported in June that Trevor Zegras might be accessible, albeit at “a really excessive value.”

Anaheim additionally has a first- and two third-round picks in subsequent yr’s draft—its second-rounder went to the Philadelphia Flyers within the Cutter Gauthier commerce—although a Spherical 1 choice could be far too steep for Liljegren alone.

Nonetheless, the Geese ought to goal Liljegren if and when he turns into accessible and make a severe push to land him. Verbeek is attempting to construct a younger group that has sufficient upside to change into a perennial contender within the not-too-distant future.

Liljegren, who has flashed promise in a restricted function, matches that plan completely.