The Maple Leafs should consider putting Timothy Liljegren on the trade market

It’s hard to say what kind of direction Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving will take ahead of the March 8 trade deadline. Regardless, if it’s ‘buying’ multiple upgrades for this season or making a calculated move to improve the future of the Leafs, defenseman Timothy Liljegren needs to be considered as an internal trade candidate.

Liljegren, a former first-round pick, has been very inconsistent this season. He suffered an ankle injury early on and hasn’t been able to find his game ever since. Liljegren has just two goals and nine points in 29 appearances, playing 19:10 a game, which ranks him fifth among Leafs defencemen. The biggest knock on the Swedish blueliner is his hockey sense, and ability to read the play. He’s also a bit of a ‘tweener’ as he’s not overly physical or aggressive enough offensively. Treliving needs to take a look at how to upgrade his blueline and it could start with moving on from Liljegren.

Still Some Trade Value for Onlooking Teams

As far as being a trade asset, Liljegren does hold some value. Significant? No, but there’s going to be some interested teams if Treliving makes him available. His contract isn’t a problem, as he’s set to make $1.4 million in 2023-24, and is a restricted free agent at season’s end. At 24 years old, there will be teams willing to give him a look and perhaps a change of scenery could do wonders for his production.

Treliving hasn’t been shy with his feelings toward the Maple Leafs’ blue line as he’s mentioned throughout the year that it’s an area of concern and one where he’d like to add some talent. What he hasn’t said is who he’d like to upgrade but considering Liljegren’s play of late, look no further.

An ideal situation would be to move on from Liljegren and find a defenceman who can carve a definitive role on the team. Be it as an above-average penalty killer and someone who plays a rugged/tough game, mucking it up in the dirty areas of the ice, or someone who is offensive-minded and a rover type, who can help the Leafs push the pace and jump in on the rush. Liljegren will show flashes of brilliance but then seems to fan on passes on a regular basis, make complete gaffes with the puck, or take an untimely penalty to halt the momentum.

This Season Was Supposed to Be ‘The Year’

Toronto has been patient with their 2017 first rounder and this season it appeared to be ‘the year’ for Liljegren to develop into a staple among the Leafs’ top four, but that hasn’t been the case at all. Depth signing Simon Benoit has leapfrogged the Swedish blueline on the team’s depth chart and is now seeing more significant minutes when the games matter most. Meanwhile, Liljegren’s had a couple of games recently where he’s seen his ice-time drop dramatically.

The reason is, Benoit is reliable and gives the same effort, game in and game out. Head coach Sheldon Keefe knows what Benoit’s going to bring to the table with his physical/simple game and limits the major mistakes that can cost the team a win. Liljegren’s consistency or role for that matter, is nowhere to be found and that’s very worrisome for a former first-rounder who has 170 games with the franchise. Keefe went public with his frustration recently after a loss to the Canucks and it certainly raised some eyebrows: