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

By Jeremiah Lee

TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 18: Timothy Liljegren #37 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates in his 1st NHL game against the Chicago Blackhawks at Scotiabank Arena on January 18, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blackhawks defeated the Maple Leafs 6-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 18: Timothy Liljegren #37 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates in his 1st NHL game against the Chicago Blackhawks at Scotiabank Arena on January 18, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blackhawks defeated the Maple Leafs 6-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Apr 19, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren (37) . Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 19, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren (37) . Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

 Strengths

Liljegren has solid skating, which really helps the Maple Leafs as he would quarterback the powerplay on the breakout.

He can keep up with the opposition, and his offensive upside could give the Maple Leafs another puck mover on D outside of Morgan Rielly.  Although he isn’t as aggressive or as talented in this regard as a truly elite offensive threat.

He is capable of making a great first pass to jumpstart the rush that the Leafs love to use to attack, but since he isn’t elite at retrieving pucks, he likely won’t be able to fully harness this power.  Statistically, he thrives at carrying the puck out of the zone and struggles when passing it.  

He can skate away from trouble, and he can lead the rush on his own. He is very adept at carrying the puck out of his zone, or  into the offensive zone successfully.

From his draft year, via Bob McKenzie of TSN, he was known to:

"Scouts say his offensive game is far more developed than his defensive game. He is an elite skater, both in terms of speed and agility, and adept at running a power play. He is seen as both a puck mover and an offensive point producer. No one is suggesting he’s the next Erik Karlsson, not by any means, but scouts say he has some of the same qualities and, therefore, has the potential to be projected as a possible top pairing defenceman in time."

Another thing that Liljegren was praised on was his intelligence, and in his debut season, it was noticeable. He was not scared with the puck and analyzed his options before he made a decision. Yes, sometimes the decision wasn’t the best, but more often than not he made the right one. His confidence should only increase as he may find himself in a top-four role of an elite team this season.

Timothy Liljegren is an offensive defenseman, to no one’s surprise, and he scored at a 50 point clip without much (if any) power play time.  With more power-play time, I could see him putting up around 65 points per season if he continues to work on and polish the skills he does have while focusing on fixing his weaknesses.

Liljegren’s top strengths would be:

  • Puck moving
  • Agility and skating
  • Passing ability
  • Shot
  • Overcomes lack of strength with smarts to be above average defensively

Speaking of weaknesses…

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