Toronto Maple Leafs: Will Timothy Liljegren Be a Top Pairing Defenseman?

Timothy Liljegren’s debut season for the Toronto Maple Leafs displayed many strengths along with noticeable weaknesses.

The final thought Timothy Liljegren placed in my head during his season with the Toronto Maple Leafs was that he is really solid for a young defenseman, but there were a few weaknesses that caught my eye.

Yes, he is solid for his age, but is he really a top-defenseman for a contending team like the Maple Leafs?

According to the stats he is, but since many of his minutes were either 3rd pairing, or with Auston Matthews, we can’t solely rely on the measurements, as encouraging as they may be.

The idea behind a top-pairing defenseman is that they can eat minutes, show an ability to recover from shifts fast, reliable defensively, play in all situations, and provide solid offense for the position, and most of all, come out on top in puck-possession, shot and scoring chance shares.

Depending on the tendency of the specific defenseman, the later of the expectations would vary. Overall, Liljegren is widely considered to be a talented defenseman who can carry the puck and can impact the game with his offensive skillset.

Here, I will look at the strengths and weaknesses Liljegren currently has and whether or not he projects to have a solid career, preferably with the Toronto Maple Leafs.