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A former first round pick seemingly is dropping down the depth charts on Toronto's blue line

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Rob A.
October 1, 2024  (2:32 PM)
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Timothy Liljegren of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization
Photo credit: Maple Leafs Daily

During Monday's practice there was a noticeable absence to the Leaf's lineup on the ice pairings which could hint to concerns with Timothy Liljegren's playing time.

Toronto made a lot of moves this off-season to try to boost their blue line. One of the deal's included giving a two-year extension to Timothy Liljegren. The organization has been waiting for a breakout from the former first round pick, and although have not seen it yet, they had enough confidence in him to extend his contract.

Other moves included adding Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Jani Hakanpaa hoping these changes would help the team on defense and get them deeper into the playoffs this season. Even with concerns about Hakanpaa's knee, they were confident in aquiring him in hopes he will be back early this season.

When looking at the pairing's on the ice this morning, one thing stood out with the roster. Liljegren was on the fourth pairing with Marshall Rifai. At this stage in training camp, being out of the top six is never a good indication.

Another cause for concern is a report coming from The Athletic's James Mirtle. He stated that if Hakanpaa is healthy enough to start the season or at least start very soon into it, the Leafs could be looking to move Liljegren and his $3 million cap hit.

"I also wonder if Hakanpaa is truly healthy to play every night by November if they might revisit moving Timothy Liljegren's $3 million cap hit. There was a ton of smoke around potentially moving him around the draft in Las Vegas back in late June, and the contract he ultimately signed was very heavily frontloaded, with 40 percent of the two-year deal already paid out in a signing bonus on July 1 before he played a game on it."


As reported by Mirtle, the leafs have looked at possibly trading Liljegren, and that can be something coming again in the next few weeks, especially if he does not jive well within Berube's system.

From this standpoint, it is not looking good for the standout first round pick who was once looking to help the Leafs rebuild that blue line. Now with a new coach and possibly a whole new philosophy of gameplay, it looks like Liljegren could be the odd man out to start the season and may be wearing a different sweater before the 2024-25 season comes to an end.

As Read On: Maple Leafs Daily -
Latest Developments at Leafs Practice Could Spell Doom For Former First Round Pick

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A former first round pick seemingly is dropping down the depth charts on Toronto's blue line

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