Recently inked to a two-year contract, as well as a healthy raise, Timothy Liljegren has been given something of a vote of confidence from the Leafs front office. Drafted and developed by the Leafs, Liljegren’s path to the NHL has taken longer than fans might have hoped. In many ways injuries and inconsistencies seem to have kept Liljegren from any sort of foothold or regular role on the team. All the while, the Leafs have been wanting right-shot defencemen, leaving ample opportunity for Liljegren, often one of the Leafs only right-handed blueliners.
Putting it all together might show us how all this incongruity is being weighed by the Leafs. Is Liljegren capable of handling a bigger role? Is he developing as a player? Is he capable of being a part of a championship-level defence group? Or is he simply on the team as one of the only right-handed defencemen with NHL experience on the Leafs roster?
Liljegren’s history
Drafted 17th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft, Liljegren joined the Leafs at a different time, in the Leafs final Lou Lemierello draft class. Having debuted successfully in the SHL a year prior, Liljegren was on the radar even at the beginning of his draft year, perhaps an early top-10 candidate for many. During his draft year, Liljegren got mono and missed a lot of time, and was behind the proverbial eight ball in his return to the lineup as well. Still, Liljegren carried a lot of public favour, thought of as a smooth skating offensive defenceman prospect with high upside.
From the draft floor, Liljegren went straight to the AHL, playing a regular role on the Toronto Marlies all through their Calder Cup winning season. As far as post-draft seasons (or draft+1) go, it would have been difficult for Liljegren to have done better, perhaps completely justifying the most optimistic appraisals.
From this high point, in 2018–19, Liljegren would reprise his results, perhaps even stagnating from a critical eye. Still, Liljegren had done enough to put himself on the NHL radar by his draft+3 season.
The next two pandemic-warped seasons, in 2019-20 and 2020-21, Liljegren split time between the AHL and the NHL. While substantially increasing his AHL production, Liljegren was not able to stick in the Leafs regular blueline. From the ages of 20 to 22, Liljegren got his first exposure to the public eye of Leafs Nation. Despite his quality, it was not quite time for Liljegren.
Liljegren has been a full-time member of the Leafs for the last three seasons. He has missed time in each of his seasons, often leaving him without a consistent defence partner when playoff time comes, or even outside the playoff lineup altogether. From afar, perhaps from outside the fan base, Liljegren seems to be a good young defenceman entering his prime years. Within Leafs Nation, some might have grown weary of Liljegren not yet asserting himself as a true difference-maker, or top four defenceman.
International clout
It is no surprise, given his heralded draft status, that Liljegren was a staple of Swedish Junior rosters, even serving as an alternate captain for Sweden’s U18 team in his draft year. Liljegren has appeared in a World Championship for Sweden, posting 4 points in 5 games in 2022–23.
Stats
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | Rogle BK Jr. | Swe-Jr | 29 | 7 | 15 | 22 |
| 2015-16 | Rogle BK Angelholm | SHL | 19 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 2016-17 | Rogle BK Jr. | Swe-Jr | 12 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| 2016-17 | Rogle BK Angelholm | SHL | 19 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 2016-17 | Timra IK | Swe-1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2017-18 | Toronto Marlies 🏆 | AHL | 44 | 1 | 16 | 17 |
| 2018-19 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 43 | 3 | 12 | 15 |
| 2018-19 | Newfoundland Growlers | ECHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019-20 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2019-20 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 40 | 5 | 25 | 30 |
| 2020-21 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020-21 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 21 | 2 | 9 | 11 |
| 2021-22 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 61 | 5 | 18 | 23 |
| 2022-23 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 67 | 6 | 12 | 18 |
| 2022-23 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2023-24 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 55 | 3 | 20 | 23 |
Player profile
Strengths: tools
Though Liljegren was initially thought of as a smooth-skating offensive defenceman at the time he was drafted, the reality involves a greater minutiae. Of course, Liljegren is still a good skater, though not the speediest or most dynamic. His skating is better described as graceful, though he is prone to some awkward or clumsy moments.
There is certainly some offence to his game, particularly as a passer. Liljegren did well during a brief stay on the Leafs top power play unit last season, and might yet get another shot here, but his offence is more function, driving team success, than it is style or sensational individual plays. Thanks to his skating and passing, Liljegren can help exit the defensive zone.
Liljegren is more than that, though. Listed at 6’0″ and 192 lbs, Liljegren has the strength to engage in and win board battles, mostly in sealing opponents to the wall off of the rush. By no means is Liljegren a physical force or a defensive stopper, but there are some positives to build on here. Combined with his sometimes awkward skating, continuing to build a stronger lower half and improving balance could go a long way to improving his effectiveness.
To this point, Liljegren has consistently provided strong possession metrics, gaudy plus/minus numbers, and high marks in statistics that try to quantify individual offence and defence. He has not been able to earn much of a role on special teams, though there has at least been some success on the power play.
Weaknesses: application
Certainly the penalty kill is an area that Liljegren can improve on to become a true staple of the Leafs lineup, especially without a leading power play role. Liljegren does seem to have some in-zone defensive abilities, though a future as a crease-clearing, shot-blocking, shutdown defender is quite unlikely. Perhaps Liljegren could be a part of an improved Leafs penalty kill, if not the Leafs might be forced to shape their roster around his deficiency here.
If Liljegren cannot manage a regular penalty killing role, and with Morgan Rielly on the roster, the Leafs would not be able to dress a third defenceman who is not a major contributor on the penalty kill. It will be difficult for the Leafs to give offence-leaning right shots, currently Conor Timmins and Topi Niemela, a chance in the lineup unless they can distinguish themselves as penalty killers in their own right. The Leafs penalty kill has been middling through the seasons, which might serve as a bigger indictment of Liljegren’s ability here. The issues of strength, savvy, and balance come into play in terms of bridging the gap.
The other main area of improvement is less tangible, a certain decisiveness or confidence to Liljegren’s game that seems to ebb and flow more than one would hope. It should be noted that while he was contributing on the Leafs top power play unit last season Liljegren seemed emboldened, providing his most effective all-around play as an NHLer. At first glance, the takeaway might be that Liljegren needs offensive touches to be at his best, but it should be that a better version of himself is within. With so many tools and attributes at his disposal, Liljegren has the capacity to apply them all more effectively. In this regard, a regular and complementary defence partner might go a long way as well, as would better health.
In all, Liljegren has the tools to positively impact play in all phases of the game. There are a lot of skills for him to work with, and the path to becoming a top four, two-way defenceman certainly exists.
His fit with the Leafs
Finding an ideal spot in the lineup for Liljegren is a bit tricky, but undoubtedly the Leafs see him as an important piece to their blueline puzzle. This is the area the Leafs are weakest at, by many accounts. Again, the right side is a bigger issue than the left for the Leafs, underscoring the team’s need to find Liljegren the right home.
Rielly only makes sense as a true situational offensive pairing, but the same might be said of many of the other possible options the Leafs have at the moment. Liljegren and Jake McCabe might be more similar than meets the eye, though McCabe brings a bit more of an edge. Ekman-Larsson might be even more similar, though at least has a great deal of experience for Liljegren to draw from.
Liljegren can handle a large chunk of the puck-moving burden on a pairing, so a big, physical, in-zone defensive player might be ideal. Simon Benoit is the obvious candidate in this respect, though new coach Craig Berube may elect to keep Benoit and McCabe together after their success last season. At least in training camp, we might expect to see the Leafs gauge some prospects of this style on a pairing with Liljegren. Mikko Kokkonen and Cade Webber might both be interesting options in this respect, and quite frankly synergy with Liljegren might be the best way for either to earn NHL consideration or a call-up next season.
On the power play, Liljegren will be competing for top minutes against Rielly, Ekman-Larsson, and even Timmins. On the penalty kill things are less certain given the alleged injury status of Jani Hakanpaa, who would be an outstanding fit behind Chris Tanev on the right. Without Hakanpaa, Liljegren will be competing for minutes on the second unit against left shots Ekman-Larsson and McCabe.
Without a long-term deal, Liljegren might be a potential trade piece, especially if he is not able to further assert himself under Craig Berube. There is a lot to like about his play, which gives him value on the trade market, but two years out from UFA status, the Leafs at least have some time to feel out an important coming-of-age opportunity with Liljegren. There is pressure, as Nicholas Mattinen, like Timmins and Niemela, provides some degree of offensive skills. If any of those three are able to prove themselves as penalty killers, the Leafs might find enough of a surplus to stomach moving off of Liljegren.
Naturally, there would need to be an appropriately substantial return to entice the Leafs to do so, as the best-case scenario would be for Liljegren to make himself indispensable for the Leafs. With the chance to impress himself on a new coaching staff, training camp will be an important inflection point for Liljegren’s career. Alongside a truly ideal defence partner, one not on the roster, Liljegren might be able to push for top pairing even strength minutes, perhaps like Jake Muzzin in his prime.
Trading Liljegren might send him to an ideal destination, which would likely lead to infamy within the Leafs history books. How much is it Liljegren’s fault that the Leafs have not been able to provide him with an ideal defence partner? It is likely that fans are split on how the team should navigate Liljegren going forward, perhaps even one of the more divided issues in the discourse of Leafs roster scheming and dreaming.
