Timothy Liljegren on the trade block?
It is one of the worst kept secrets that the Leafs appear keen on trading their 2017 first round pick with Liljegren being stuck on the outside looking in after losing his roster spot in training camp.
He was signed to a two-year deal over the summer carrying a $3 million AAV. On Wednesday, according to David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period, 14 teams sent scouts to the game with Jim Nill, the Dallas Stars GM notably amongst them.
We will see where Liljegren ends up but as of right now, it looks like he will not be in Toronto for long. After making his season debut (where he saw less than 14 minutes of ice time) he was once again a healthy scratch Saturday in favor of Connor Timmins.
On the bright side, young right-shot defensemen seem to be a hot commodity, meaning the Leafs could net a decent return.
On the other hand, the Toronto Maple Leafs don't have four better defenseman than Liljegren, let alone six. The Leafs are making themselves worse on purpose with their ill-advised obsession with size. Liljegren is a solid puck mover who is good (but not great) at all aspects of the game, can play anywhere in the lineup, on both special teams, is right-handed (the most coveted of all defenders) and has 200 NHL games experience where he has solidly won his minutes.
Running this player out of town for no reason seems very poorly thought out, but the rumour is that he could be traded at any time.