Weaknesses
Yeah, if you watched the Stanley Cup Playoff series vs the Tampa Bay Lightning, I’m sure that you saw this one coming.
The first thing Liljegren MUST work on is his strength. In the regular season, I could see him struggling to box guys out in front of the net. On top of this, his positioning to out-work bigger guys wasn’t there.
Still, what you notice is not always as big of a factor as it seems. While Liljegren was benched after two games in the playoffs, that is a very short sample size, and inexperience and nerves could easily have been a factor in his performance.
Liljegren often looks weak or lost in the defensive zone, but the numbers suggest that he is very successful regardless. The JFresh card ranks him in the 72nd percentile, while the Athletic ranks him slightly higher. This third measurement also shows he is an adept defender.
Timothy Liljegren (2x1.4m extension with Toronto) is a strong all-around defender. pic.twitter.com/UtupZK6Rhc
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) June 27, 2022
Three different sources, three different ways of measuring defense all come to the conclusion that however he looked, he was mostly successful.
What about the playoffs? Liljegren played in two blowout games in the playoffs then the coach took him out, despite the fact he was the team’s best statistical defenseman in the regular season. The Leafs ended up losing by one goal in the seventh game, and this could very easily been a mistake by the coach, so too much should not be read into his benching.
At the same time, you watch how he plays down low close to the goalie, and you can see why Keefe did what he did. This stuff isn’t an exact science, and when you add in the pressure to win, it’s easy to take out a rookie. The big picture, however, is still very complimentary, even with his weaknesses.
Liljegren’s weaknesses would be:
- Puck Retrieval
- Strength
- Defensive play close to the goalie