Former First-Round Pick Under Intense Scrutiny to Secure Line-up Spot: Is Head Coach Craig Berube at Fault?

A lot of questions surrounded how the Toronto Maple Leafs would improve this season, and it seems they did so with a big shift in mentality and who they want on the ice; adding big defensive bodies like Chris Tanev and Jani Hakanpaa, as well as adding Oliver Ekman-Larsson to help patrol the powerplay. Not to mention they've already got Simon Benoit, Jake McCabe, and Conor Timmins as well. That's already your six defensemen, and you can't play more according to the rules last time I checked.

So where does that leave Timothy Liljegren? The former 17th overall pick in 2017 by the Maple Leafs hasn't necessarily been the most spectacular while on the ice with Toronto. He's been able to put some points up on the board but has looked lost defensively at times and feels like he is out of position a lot more than the Maple Leafs would like. The additions to the team don't spell positive news for Liljegren, who was recently seen on the 4th defensive pairing in practice; a sign that he may be ushered down in the lineup and not find much playing time.

It's not a complete killer for Liljegren but the optics do not look good. He was looking to thrive with the speedy and shifty offense under former Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe and while he did put up a solid couple seasons, he never broke out of his shell even when he was placed alongside veteran defenders like Joel Edmundson in order to allow him to focus offensively. He clearly could be capable of scoring 10+ goals and 30+ assists but he hasn't shown that consistency; and last year defensively he was fairly bad. Berube has better options not only offensively but defensively and his gameplan of grit and grind feels a bit out of place for Liljegren.

With the Maple Leafs lining up their defensive pairings presumably Rielly - Tanev, Ekman-Larsson - McCabe, and Benoit-Hakanpaa, you've still got Timmins in the wings who while is a bit under the level of Liljegren offensively, offers way more upside defensively. Liljegren is also costing the Maple Leafs $3M over the next two seasons and they could trade him to free up money to re-sign John Tavares or go after someone like Igor Shesterkin in free agency. He costs too much for the Maple Leafs when they have better options already; and it's a problem for Toronto if they pay Liljegren to pay minimal minutes.

With the regular season only 8 days away, the Toronto Maple Leafs are figuring out their final roster for the 2024-2025 season, and with the defensive additions they've made, it looks like Liljegren may be watching from the press box come opening night.