Toronto Maple Leafs: What’s The Deal with Timothy Liljegren?

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren was assigned to the practice squad on Tuesday, so does this mean he’s going to get called up soon?

Drafted 17th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Liljegren feels way older than someone who just became the legal drinking age in America (21-years-old). Currently slated as one of the top-five prospects in the Toronto Maple Leafs system, Liljegren has yet to establish himself with the big-club but has been developing well with the Toronto Marlies.

Although fans would have loved to see a young right-handed shot defenseman jump into the lineup already, it wasn’t realistic. Toronto is currently in a win-now mode and although Liljegren may be able to play in a bottom-six role, what good does that do for anyone?

Liljegren was put in a tough situation during the 2019-20. After Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin and Cody Ceci were injured, Liljegren was called up for 11 regular season games to fill a role that he wasn’t ready for.

In limited action, Liljegren finished with a 44.2 CF% and one assist (via: hockeyreference.com). Although he didn’t perform at his highest capabilities, it doesn’t mean he’s not going to make a great defenseman one day. In fact, his stats with the Marlies last season were very promising. In 40 games, he finished with five goals and 30 points and was clearly a top-two defenseman on the team.

Besides Rasmus Sandin, there’s no better defenseman in the system than Liljegren.

What Does the Timothy Liljegren Taxi-Squad Assignment Mean?

If you like conspiracy theories or love talking about Toronto Maple Leafs trades, here’s one for you. A Travis Dermott trade is forthcoming.

Dermott may be a left-handed shot defenseman, but assigning Liljegren to the taxi-squad that currently has zero defenseman on it, could mean that the team is getting ready to move a blue-liner out. Dermott provides the biggest trade asset and it’s been rumored that the Leafs are looking to acquire a “mystery forward.”

With a minimal contract and a ton of upside, Dermott should be a player that other teams would be interested in. It doesn’t mean the Leafs are going to fetch an All-Star for him but he could be a trade chip if that’s the direction they want to go.

Another reason why Liljegren was assigned to the taxi-squad could be based on conditioning. The Toronto Marlies get set to start their season on February 15, so the Leafs may have thought that it would be good for the youngster to get some work in with the big-club prior to starting the year in the minors.

The last speculation is that he’ll be playing games for the Leafs. Although this is possible, he’s still the ninth defenseman on the roster, so it seems unlikely that he’ll be getting action. Head coach Sheldon Keefe has done a great job rotating the bottom-six forwards but from a defensive standpoint, there doesn’t seem to be enough ice for everyone.

Zach Bogosian has earned his role on the bottom-pairing, so there’s only been one spot left for Keefe to play musical chairs with. Travis Dermott and Mikko Lehtonen have rotated this spot, while Rasmus Sandin also sits and waits. Although Sandin was finally able to get into a game, it was only because Dermott was injured, so it would be surprising if Liljegren saw game action.

It’s unsure whether or not Liljegren has been getting paid while outside of the taxi-squad, so maybe this call-up is just a way to give him a few bucks. Either way, it’ll be interesting to follow his path because he’s going to be part of this organization for a long time.