Timothy Liljegren
And last is Timothy Liljegren, who signed a 1.4 mil contract this offseason.
He has the size and skating ability, along with the offensive awareness as tools to build on as he enters the season. He MUST focus on getting stronger by filling out his frame and improving his defensive awareness and positioning.
Liljegren is on a “prove it” deal at the moment, and I’m expecting him to do just that: Prove that he is as good as last season’s stats say he is. Sure, as I said before, his offense and puck skills are amazing and he has the makings of a powerplay specialist, but his defense is extremely concerning. Given that he does work on his strength, and he does work on his defensive awareness I am expecting a huge season from him.
Most of his points will likely come on the first powerplay unit, which I expect him to quarterback. I doubt that he will be used often on the PK until he proves that he can play in those situations.
I still think that, once he improves his defense, he can play in all situations and become a quality top-four defenseman for the team, but until then he’ll likely be paired with Mark Giordano on the third pairing.
Expectations: 45-50 points, positive plus-minus.