The Toronto Maple Leafs do not have a good blue-line and that isn’t even a controversial statement.
Despite actually having solid defensive numbers over the previous two seasons, and despite not changing much in the off-season, the Toronto Maple Leafs blue-line is horrible.
You could even call it a disaster.
You couldn’t really even be hyperbolic about it because it’s just complete garbage. There is no physicality, no elite players and no depth.
Jake McCabe and John Klingberg are looking increasingly worrisome. At this point it’s worth asking if either of them are still NHL players.
But there is hope.
Timothy Liljegren is having a breakout season. Or, at least he was until he was injured.
Toronto Maple Leafs Starting to Get Excited About Timothy Liljegren
For the past two seasons, Liljegren has dominated 3rd pairing minutes then been benched in the playoffs.
There are a lot of players – Travis Dermott comes to mind – who can dominate the sheltered minutes they get on the 3rd pairing, and then can’t seem to make an impact in the game when they move up the lineup.
That doesn’t seem to be the case for Liljegren.
To be honest, after the Leafs made it clear that John Klingberg was a top-four player going into training camp, I thought Liljegren’s days with the Leafs were numbered.
The coach not wanting to play him in the playoffs, coupled with their clear reluctance to promote him, made me assume my read on him as a future very-good top-four player was incorrect (and it still might be) and that the Leafs would probably trade him.
But Klingberg predictably struggled out of the gate and Liljegren stepped in admirably, and played in the top four for the last several games before he was hurt.
Prior to the Dallas game on October 26th, he was 4th on the Toronto Maple Leafs in minutes per game, he led the team in defensive zone draws overall and per game.
While playing those tough minutes, he’s put up a 56% expected goals rating, which is way higher than anyone else on the team. In fact, of the regulars, besides Liljegren, only Morgan Rielly has a positive expected-goals rating.
The only problem with Liljegren is that he’s played most of his minutes with Giordano, who is declining rapidly before our very eyes. When paired with anyone else, Liljegren’s Expected Goals Percentage is approaching 60% but it’s barely over 50 with Gio. (stats naturalstattrick.com).
The Toronto Maple Leafs blue-line is in shambles, and that is what happens when you come into a season with 5 out of 6 players over the age of 30. Liljegren, the lone bright spot, has missed the last six games and there is no word yet on when he’ll be back.