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Timothy Liljegren

Maple Leafs To Activate Timothy Liljegren Off LTIR

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The Maple Leafs will welcome back an important part of their back end tonight against Pittsburgh as defenseman Timothy Liljegren told reporters including David Alter of The Hockey News (Twitter link) that he’s ready to suit up, meaning Toronto will be activating him off LTIR.

The 24-year-old has missed the last six weeks with a lower-body injury sustained against Boston in early November.  Before being injured, he was averaging over 19 minutes a night, the highest ATOI of his young career while he was seeing a fair bit of action in Toronto’s top four.

Offensively, he has been limited to just one assist but he also has 18 blocked shots and was averaging close to two minutes per night on the penalty kill before the injury.  The Maple Leafs will certainly be happy to have a more defensive-oriented presence in their lineup.  Postmedia’s Lance Hornby adds (Twitter link) that Liljegren could be partnered with Morgan Rielly tonight on the top pairing so he’ll be put into a big role quickly.  That said, with T.J. Brodie (illness) listed as questionable, those pairings could be tweaked.

In order for Toronto to officially activate Liljegren off LTIR, they will first need to open up the cap space to do so.  Today’s recall of Pontus Holmberg means they will be over the cap if they try to activate Liljegren.

They do have some options to get cap-compliant though.  The easiest one is to send a defenseman down (one of Simon Benoit, Maxime Lajoie, or William Lagesson) which would get them just enough room.  If Ryan Reaves is going to be out for more than ten games and 24 days, he could be placed on LTIR which would give them more than enough room to activate Liljegren.  Alternatively, they could transfer Mark Giordano to LTIR retroactively; he’d be eligible to return on December 23rd in that scenario.  However, he is skating and if they feel he’s ready to return before then, that might not be the best route to go.  Either way, a roster move will be coming in order to get Liljegren in the lineup tonight.

Atlantic Notes: Knies, Liljegren, Larkin

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Sportsnet’s Luke Fox tweeted this morning that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies returned to practice today but is unlikely to return to the lineup tonight as he is still not 100%. Knies has been dealing with an illness the last few days that already caused him to miss Tuesday night’s 7-3 win over the New York Rangers. Lance Hornby of Postmedia added that there is a small chance that Knies could play and that things are a bit up in the air as the Maple Leafs have had a flu bug circulating through their dressing room. Should Knies miss tonight’s game Noah Gregor would likely take his spot on the top line once again with Auston Matthews and William Nylander.

The 21-year-old Knies has had an okay start to his first full season in the NHL registering six goals and five assists in 25 games. Expectations for the Phoenix, Arizona native were quite high after a solid seven-game showing in last year’s playoffs in which Knies posted a goal and three assists. He’s been physical, good defensively and responsible with the puck. However, he has not been able to drive play, which is surprising given that he has spent time on a line with two of the best play drivers in the NHL.

In other Atlantic Division notes:

  • Lance Hornby of Postmedia tweeted that Toronto Maples Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren is getting close to returning to the lineup. In talking with Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe Hornby learned that the 24-year-old should only need another practice or two before being ready to return to action. Liljegren has been out of the lineup since suffering a high-ankle sprain on November 2nd that was the result of a controversial trip by Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand. Liljegren has just a single assist in ten games this season and has been averaging just shy of 18 minutes a night of ice-time for Toronto.
  • Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press is reporting that Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin skated with the team this morning in a non-contact jersey. Larkin being back on the ice is certainly a positive development after he suffered what appeared to be a devastating injury on Saturday after he was hit up high by a couple of Ottawa Senators players. Larkin lay motionless on the ice as a melee ensued around him between the two teams. Larkin suffered what is being described as an upper-body injury and although it is a very positive development to see him back on the ice so soon, there is no timeline for his return to Detroit’s lineup.

Injury Notes: San Jose Sharks, Conor Sheary, Timothy Liljegren

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San Jose Sharks winger Alexander Barabanov returned to the team’s practice for the first time since his October 24th finger injury. Barbanov did not take part in line rushes during the team skate, suggesting that he still isn’t ready to return just yet. The Sharks were also without top winger Tomas Hertl at the Thursday practice. Hertl has been out of action since November 25th with a mid-body injury.

The loss of the wingers is a hit to the Sharks forward group. Hertl substantially leads the team in points, scoring four goals and 16 points through his first 21 games. Fabian Zetterlund, who has nine points in 22 games, ranks second on the team in scoring – significantly behind Hertl. And while Barabanov has gone without a point through the six games he’s managed this season, he did record 15 goals and 47 points in 68 games last year – adding 20 penalty minutes and a -30. His point totals ranked fifth on the 2022-23 Sharks.

Other injury notes around the league:

  • Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper shared that Conor Sheary is working closer to a return. Tampa is gearing up for a six-game road trip that begins in Nashville and then takes the team across the Northwest, beginning on December 7th. Cooper said that Sheary will likely play at some point on the road trip, albeit likely one of the later games.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe shared that Timothy Liljegren has returned to on-ice activities but isn’t yet close to a return. Liljegren has been out since November 2nd with an ankle injury. The 24-year-old defenseman has appeared in 10 games this season, notching one assist and a -1. He totaled six goals and 18 points in 67 games last season.

Maple Leafs Place Timothy Liljegren On LTIR, Recall Max Lajoie And Simon Benoit

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The Maple Leafs are dealing with another injury on their back end as they announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Timothy Liljegren has been placed on LTIR with a high-ankle sprain, meaning he’ll miss at least the next 10 games and 24 days.  Replacing him on the roster will be blueliners Max Lajoie and Simon Benoit who have been recalled from AHL Toronto.

Liljegren was injured on Thursday night late in the first period against Boston after being tripped by Bruins winger Brad Marchand.  Following the game, head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that the early prognosis was that it wasn’t a short-term injury for the 24-year-old; this placement certainly cements that.  Liljegren is averaging around 18 minutes a night on Toronto’s back end through the first ten games, good for fourth among Toronto’s blueliners.  It’s a contract year for Liljegren who will be a restricted free agent next summer and an extended absence certainly wouldn’t help on that front.

The Maple Leafs are also without blueliners Jake McCabe and Conor Timmins.  David Alter of The Hockey News mentions (Twitter link) that both rearguards skated before practice today but that Timmins – who is on LTIR himself – is still a long way away from returning to the lineup.

As for the recalls, Lajoie is in his first season with Toronto after signing with them in free agency this past summer.  The 25-year-old has seen NHL action in each of the last five years, totaling 70 regular season games and a pair of playoff contests.  This season, he has been held off the scoresheet in seven games with the Marlies but had 45 points in 70 games with AHL Chicago in 2022-23.

Benoit, meanwhile, was recalled three times back in October but didn’t play with the Maple Leafs.  Going back and forth to and from the minors has also limited him to just two games so far with the Marlies.  Last season, the 25-year-old had 10 points in 78 games with Anaheim while logging over 19 minutes a night.

Injury Notes: Liljegren, Chytil, Senators

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have tweeted that defenseman Timothy Liljegren has left tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins and won’t be returning. It is the second time in less than a week that the 24-year-old has had to leave a game with an injury as he was forced to exit a game last week against the Nashville Predators with what was described as an upper body injury.

Liljegren’s injury tonight is being called a lower body injury, but it appears likely it is something in his foot or ankle. The injury happened in the dying moments of the first period as Liljegren and forward Brad Marchand of the Bruins were skating towards the corner and engaging in a puck battle. Marchand appears to give Liljegren the can opener before the Maple Leafs defenseman goes awkwardly into the boards. The move from Marchand was essentially a trip as he appeared to put his stick between Liljegren’s legs and force him to the ice. Liljegren’s skates then smashed into the end boards, likely causing his injury.

In other injury notes:

  • Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is reporting that New York Rangers forward Filip Chytil is done for tonight’s game after colliding with Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast in the first period of the matchup this evening. Chytil left with what is being described as an upper-body injury and was last seen on the Rangers bench in obvious pain before leaving the game. The 24-year-old center has six assists in nine games this season and has been working primarily as the team’s second-line center. Should he be out for any period it is likely that Vincent Trocheck was moved up to the second line in his absence.
  • The Ottawa Senators have tweeted that young forward Ridly Greig left tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Kings with a lower-body injury and did not return. The news was similar for Greig’s teammate Mark Kastelic who also suffered a lower-body injury and was unable to get back onto the ice. Senators coach D.J. Smith offered an update on both players that was covered by Murray Pam of Full Press Hockey. Smith said that he figures both Greig and Kastelic will miss a few games due to their ailments. Greig has been filling in admirably for the suspended Shane Pinto and has registered two goals and five assists in eight games while Kastelic has no points and 21 PIM in eight games this year. Given the Senators’ predicament, it does seem likely that the team will have to recall some players from the Belleville Senators of the AHL.

Injury Notes: Maple Leafs, Hischier, Lindgren, Flames

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are facing opposing injury news, with defender Timothy Liljegren returning to the team’s practice but Jake McCabe still sitting out. Liljegren took practice reps alongside Mark Giordano, although no update about his availability was provided. Liljegren was announced as “doubtful” for the team’s October 28th game before missing the match; a tag that may carry over to their Tuesday night game.

Liljegren is playing more than ever through eight games this season, averaging over 19 minutes of ice time a game – a step up from the 18 minutes he averaged last season. It’s a continuation of the gradual increase in ice time that Liljegren has seen in each of the last three seasons, speaking to his growing prowess. But despite the increased role, Liljegren has only managed one point through his eight games this year. Scoring has never been his forte, with Liljegren only netting 18 points through 67 games last year.

Liljegren will look to add to those scoring totals with an eventual return to action, while Toronto continues to wait for news of McCabe’s outlook.

Other injury news:

Leafs’ Timothy Liljegren Leaves Game With Injury

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Sportsnet is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren left last night’s game against the Nashville Predators with an apparent upper-body injury. The injury appeared to happen when Yakov Trenin of the Predators finished his check on Liljegren after he had cleared the puck from behind the Leafs goal line. Liljegren skated to the bench in obvious discomfort where he appeared to talk to the trainer about his ailment.

The injury was initially reported as a lower-body injury before it was corrected later in the evening. At the moment, it isn’t clear how long the 24-year-old will be out of action, leaving it as a day-to-day situation for the time being. The Leafs can hardly afford to lose another defender as they are already without Jake McCabe and Conor Timmins who are both sidelined due to injury.

Liljegren has just one assist in eight games to start the season and has struggled early in the year with an elevated role due to the injuries in the Leafs defensive core. The native of Kristianstad, Sweden has seen increased ice time to start the year, playing an average of over 20 minutes a night and has also been forced to take substantially more defensive zone starts than he has at any point in his career. These variables have led to some of Liljegren’s struggles thus far.

While Liljegren will likely be re-evaluated in the coming days, the Maple Leafs will have to consider some call-ups before their next contest on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings as nearly half of their defensive core is sidelined due to injury. The Maple Leafs are fortunate to have the financial resources to keep NHL-caliber players in the AHL, however, they have already dipped into those resources with all the early season injuries and will have to further tap into them if Liljegren is on the shelf any length of time.

Examining Toronto’s Further Cap-Cutting Options

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While today’s news that the Maple Leafs would be placing goaltender Matt Murray on LTIR to start the season helps to alleviate Toronto’s salary cap situation, they still have some work to do.  Using CapFriendly’s numbers, they still sit a little more than $2MM above the Upper Limit of the salary cap (even with Jake Muzzin being LTIR-bound himself) which means they have some paring down to do.

The recent arbitration award to Ilya Samsonov has opened up a second buyout window that they can utilize within the next 48 hours.  However, there are specific rules in place as to who can be bought out in this second window.  The player must make at least $4MM and have been on the roster last season.  Most of the other Toronto players that meet the criteria (and there aren’t many) have a zero percent chance of being bought out.

One possible exception is defenseman T.J. Brodie.  While they certainly wouldn’t want to part with the 33-year-old, the back-loaded structure of his contract would actually see the Maple Leafs clear the full $5MM AAV off the books for next season, clearing that gap and actually giving them some flexibility to add.  On the flip side, it would add $2.5MM onto the books for 2024-25 which certainly isn’t ideal with Auston Matthews and William Nylander needing pricey new deals next summer.  Speculatively, if they were open to parting with Brodie, a trade with 50% retention would free up $2.5MM in cap room and could yield a positive-value return, even in a market that doesn’t have a lot of financial wiggle room.

Assuming that’s not a route Toronto wants to take, let’s move on to some of the smaller cost-cutting options, sticking with the defense first.  Conor Timmins has a two-year deal that begins next season, one that carries a $1.1MM AAV.  While it’s generally viewed as bad form to trade a player that soon after signing an extension, Treliving wasn’t the one that gave him that deal.  Even if a trade option isn’t available, the contract can be fully buried in the minors without a lingering cap charge.  That might be their best option, actually, allowing them to keep Timmins in the organization a little longer and if another LTIR-eligible injury arises, he could then be brought up.

However, if head coach Sheldon Keefe wants to hold onto Timmins in the NHL, then Timothy Liljegren could become a cost-cutting candidate.  Signed for a reasonable $1.4MM next season, the 24-year-old has shown enough that they could get a solid return for his services although it would take another perceived part of their long-term plans out of the system, joining Rasmus Sandin who was moved at the deadline last season.

If Toronto parts with Brodie, it becomes much less likely that they’ll do something with Timmins or Liljegren as they’ll need them in the lineup on a regular basis.

Up front, there are presently 14 forwards on their projected roster.  They only need 12 so some savings can come from here.  Nicholas Robertson is coming off another shoulder injury and is waiver-exempt so his $797K is an easy one to pare down.

The other one isn’t as easy.  Sam Lafferty ($1.15MM) could be a luxury they could no longer afford and his contract could be fully buried in the minors if he was to clear waivers.  With the year he had, there could be a taker in training camp but with several capable role players still unsigned, his trade value right now would be limited.  Dylan Gambrell ($750K) is someone who might pass through unclaimed but he’d yield the fewest cap savings.  Pontus Holmberg ($800K) and Matthew Knies ($925K) are waiver-exempt and would save a bit more money than Gambrell but in a perfect world, they’re both in the opening lineup.

The other possible cap casualty could be winger Calle Jarnkrok.  At $2.1MM, his cap hit is hardly above market value but it might be a value that they can’t afford anymore while moving him outright would get them back into compliance.  However, the trade market for him might not be the best right now with other bottom-six players available in free agency and not necessarily needing the three years that Jarnkrok has left on his deal.

As you can see, there are certainly multiple paths that the Maple Leafs can take to get compliant.  But one way or the other, they will need to either part with some serviceable veterans or carry a minimum-sized roster to get there.  Treliving has added some pieces this summer including veterans John Klingberg, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Max Domi but some subtraction should now be coming.

William Nylander, Timothy Liljegren Reportedly Joining Sweden At Worlds

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According to a report from Swedish outlet Sportbladet, a pair of Toronto Maple Leafs are heading to the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championship after their elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Winger William Nylander and defenseman Timothy Liljegren are joining the Swedish squad, while Sweden has reportedly sent defensemen Joel Persson and Christian Folin home from the tournament to create room on the roster.

After a disappointing loss to the Florida Panthers, Nylander and Liljegren are now set to bring their skills and experience to the international stage. The news bolsters a Swedish contingent that’s yet to lose through three games at the tournament, although they’ve struggled to produce offense outside of a 5-0 win against Austria.

Nylander should help with those scoring woes, coming off the first 40-goal season of his NHL career. He’s been money in the bank for Sweden at this tournament, recording 15 goals and 37 points in just 21 World Championship appearances across three tournaments (2017, 2019, 2022). It’s a significant boon to a Swedish team that has scored just three goals in two games against Germany and Finland, including a shootout marker.

Joining him is Liljegren, who’s made significant strides in his all-around ability since the last time he represented Sweden internationally at the 2018 IIHF Men’s World Junior Championship. One of the more intriguing young two-way defenders in the sport, Liljegren now gets a chance to add an additional spark to a Sweden defensive corps that’s excelled thus far at the tournament, one that includes former teammate and defense partner Rasmus Sandin.

Neither Persson nor Folin had suited up yet for Sweden in the tournament. While they’re both capable contributors to the Swedish lineup, and both have NHL experience, the swap for Nylander and Liljegren is a significant upgrade to a Swedish team with hopes of capturing the gold medal at this tournament.

Sweden can make it four games without a loss when they take on Hungary on Thursday.

Timothy Liljegren To Dress Tomorrow For Toronto Maple Leafs

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Although Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren has been a healthy scratch for the past two games, it appears as though he will return to the lineup tomorrow night against the New Jersey Devils. TSN’s Mark Masters is reporting that Liljegren will pair alongside Morgan Rielly as head coach Sheldon Keefe moves back to a 12-6 alignment.

Scratching Liljegren seemed unlikely just as a few months ago after he went eight straight games without being on the ice for a 5v5 goal against. Liljegren was even profiled in a piece from Luke Fox of Sportsnet a few days after he assisted on a Mitch Marner OT game winning goal against the New York Rangers. In the article, Keefe and Liljegren’s teammates praised his steady play, and his ability to make reads in the offensive zone.

However, the former first round pick has struggled as of late with just two points in his last 12 games, including going pointless in 10 straight. This drop in play coincided with multiple roster moves that left the young Swedish defenseman on the outside looking in when the dust of the trade deadline settled.

Liljegren will now have another opportunity to show that he belongs on the ice and not in the press box, as he pairs up with top defenseman Rielly. Keefe also said it is possible that Liljegren will see time on the powerplay, a role that he has not seen much of this year having played just 20 powerplay minutes all season long.

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