Ex-Leafs First-Round Pick Falls Out of Favor With New Team, Hits Trade Market
Photo credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
Former Maple Leafs first-round pick Timothy Liljegren has been placed on the trade block after only a year in San Jose, according to NHL Insider David Pagnotta.
As the NHL offseason continues on, teams are working diligently to make sure they are best prepared for the season ahead, which means that certain players are going to be unfortunate casualties whether it be due to trades, or contract buyouts.
No team is taking a day off, and though it might be easier for some to get the pieces they want, for some it's going to take a lot more work.
In the case of the San Jose Sharks, who are currently in the middle of a rebuild but have some very exciting pieces, they need to refocus and make sure they give their rookies the best possible lineup.
They have a lot of money to play with, but haven't been able to bring in anyone substansial, though they were able to lock up William Eklund long term, and drafted potential superstar Michael Misa in the 2025 Draft.
Timothy Liljegren on the move again: David Pagnotta
A couple of players are being dangled in the hopes of being able to find another impact player up front, who can help mentor the youngsters and give them an offensive boost, but one name seems to stick out which is former Maple Leafs draft pick Timothy Liljegren.
Traded by the Maple Leafs earlier this year in order to open up some cap space, Liljegren seems to have been just a placeholder, and if the team is able to get some much needed money or assets by sending him off; they will certainly do so.
The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta explained explained that due to San Jose fighting hard for a better forward, both Liljegren and upstart defenseman Henry Thrun are both on the trade block:
The Sharks, meanwhile, have also been trying to add a top-six winger to their roster but have come up empty, even with a willingness to overspend.
They poked around on the bigger free agents, including Nikolaj Ehlers, but their current rebuild state isn't overly attractive to them.
The expectation is at least one defenceman will be moved out of San Jose after this week's adds, with both Timothy Liljegren and Henry Thrun available, per sources.
They poked around on the bigger free agents, including Nikolaj Ehlers, but their current rebuild state isn't overly attractive to them.
The expectation is at least one defenceman will be moved out of San Jose after this week's adds, with both Timothy Liljegren and Henry Thrun available, per sources.
Pagnotta isn't clear on the exact source, but it wouldn't be shocking to see Liljegren on the move once again.
A little roadblock for Liljegren
In 67 games for the Sharks this season, Liljegren registered 17 points (6 goals, 11 assists) 36 PIM and a brutal minus-25 rating in 19:16.
Drafted 17th overall by the Maple Leafs in 2017, he never really found his footing in Toronto and his lack of size and physicality didn't play into the team's new philosophy.
He was selected over players such as Joshua Norris, Robert Thomas, Jake Oettinger, and Jason Robertson.
While there was a lot of hope for Liljegren to be a very good two-way defender, there seemed to be a disconnect between how Liljegren played and what Toronto wanted to accomplish.
In 197 games with the Maple Leafs, he had 65 points (14 goals, 51 assists) with a plus-38 rating.
While there's nothing guaranteed and he may be on the team come October, Timothy Liljegren may be on the move to another team hoping to get a consistent shot at being a regular NHL player.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 5 | 1862 ANSWERS Ex-Leafs First-Round Pick Falls Out of Favor With New Team, Hits Trade Market Do you think Timothy Liljegren will be traded from San Jose? | ||
| Yes | 1403 | 75.3 % |
| No | 459 | 24.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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