Timothy Liljegren
Timothy Liljegren is the first defenseman on this list, and rightfully so. The Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Liljegren in the first round of the 2017 NHL entry draft. He was selected with the 17th overall pick and projected to be Toronto’s right-shooting defenseman of the future.
Liljegren has spent the last four seasons playing with the Toronto Marlies with a few games here and there with the Leafs. During his time with the Marlies, Liljegren has scored 11 goals and 62 assists for 73 points in 148 games.
Most of the time, defensemen take longer than forwards to develop, but this season feels like it is a make-or-break season for Liljegren. He should be able to make the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup as the team’s seventh defenseman, which means whenever someone is inevitably injured, he will likely get his chance as an NHL regular.
If Toronto decides to go with only six defensemen, Liljegren will surely be the first call-up when the time comes. If he does start the season with the Marlies, he should be playing on the top pairing and get plenty of ice time.
Prediction: NHL ready by 2021-22 Season
Rodion Amirov
In the 2020 NHL entry draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Rodion Amirov with the 15th overall pick. The selection was a bit of surprise to some, but not those who’ve seen him play.
During his draft year, Amirov scored ten goals and 12 assists for 22 points in 17 games while playing in the MHL. He also recorded two assists in 21 games while playing for Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the KHL.
Last season, Amirov scored nine goals and four assists for 13 points in 39 games while playing in the KHL. He spent this off-season training in Toronto with the Maple Leafs training staff before heading back to Russia.
He was expected to play a big role with Salavat Yulaev Ufa this season, but suffered a broken collarbone during pre-season play. He will miss a minimum of four weeks with the injury. We will have to wait and see how long it takes for him to return to form.
Prediction: NHL ready by 2022-23 Season