Top 5 Early Toronto Maple Leafs Predictions for 2021-22

5. Timothy Liljegren will usurp Travis Dermott in the lineup.

The expected Leafs lines for next season have the pairings ready to roll out Morgan Rielly with T.J. Brodie, Jake Muzzin with Justin Holl, and Rasmus Sandin with Travis Dermott. Even though that’s how the blueline may begin the season, it’s not how the club will go into the playoffs. Timothy Liljegren will eventually take Dermott’s place in the lineup.

Dermott struggled at times last season but is expected to be a good fit on Toronto’s bottom pairing. Clearly, Dubas believed that Dermott had value with the franchise because he ensured that the team and player would be linked for the next couple of seasons.

In early July, the Leafs signed Dermott to a two-year extension worth $3 million. Despite paying him an annual salary of $1.5 million, he will lose his spot to Liljegren. Liljegren will showcase with the Marlies that he deserved the role of the team’s sixth defenseman.

At 22 years old, Liljegren might be a more natural partner for Sandin.

Not only have the two played together with the Marlies but they each shoot different ways. Dermott, who is 24, shoots left but can play both on the left and right sides. Sandin also shoots left.

For Keefe, it make sense to put a right-shooting Dman in Liljegren on the right side instead of having Dermott play on the opposite side of the ice. Liljegren will just need an opportunity to break through and once he does, he won’t relinquish his spot for the remainder of the year.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot to prove in the coming season. These bold predictions could all come to fruition but there’s no doubt that the players themselves only have their sights set on one thing, winning the Stanley Cup.