Atlantic Notes: Liljegren, Toronto’s Coaching Staff, Buchberger, LeClerc

After being eliminated in the first round, there has been plenty of speculation about the Maple Leafs shaking up their core forwards.  However, a move there almost certainly won’t be the only change this summer.  To that end, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (Twitter link) that there is some early chatter that defenseman Timothy Liljegren is coming up in trade talks.  The 25-year-old matched his career high in points this season with 23 despite missing 27 games while also setting new personal bests in blocks (116) and average ice time (19:20) which puts him in good shape as he reaches restricted free agency with arbitration eligibility this summer.  If GM Brad Treliving doesn’t want to pay a raise that will likely push past the $2MM mark or if he’s looking to add more grit on the back end, Liljegren could be an intriguing trade target, one that should draw a lot of attention should Toronto opt to formally put him on the block.

More from the Atlantic:

• Still with Toronto, the Maple Leafs named Craig Berube as their new head coach yesterday, signing him to a four-year contract. Berube, of course, last worked in St. Louis and it appears that Berube won’t be the only one joining Toronto from the Blues.  James Mirtle of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Berube will be bringing some of the staff from St. Louis with him.  Steve Ott, Mike Weber, David Alexander, and Michael Babcock are the current assistants on Drew Bannister’s staff.  As it is, Berube will be reunited with one of his former assistants as Mike Van Ryn was on his staff in St. Louis before being hired by Toronto last offseason.
• The Canadiens’ AHL affiliate in Laval announced (Twitter link) that assistant coach Kelly Buchberger will not return next season. The 17-year NHL veteran had been an assistant for the Rocket for the past three seasons.  Buchberger has since been named as head coach and GM of the Devon Xtreme of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
• The Red Wings have invited forward Cy LeClerc to their upcoming development camp, relays Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). The 21-year-old had a productive sophomore season with the University of New Hampshire, notching 10 goals and 18 assists in 36 games to finish second on the team in scoring.