Leafs recall two defencemen while placing Liljegren on long-term injured reserve
Defenceman Timothy Liljegren is expected to be out of the lineup for some time, as the Toronto Maple Leafs placed him on long-term injured reserve this morning.
Liljegren was hurt versus the Boston Bruins on Thursday night after going into the boards hard while engaged in a puck battle with Brad Marchand. The exact injury hasn’t been specified, but has been deemed as lower-body. Prior to the injury, Liljegren had one assist in 10 games while averaging roughly 18 minutes per outing.
Timothy Liljegren has been helped down the tunnel and has left the game after this play against Boston. pic.twitter.com/KOJ6YZ3XMq
ā Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 3, 2023
The Leafs also announced this morning that they have called up defencemen Simon Benoit and Max Lajoie from the Toronto Marlies. Both boast NHL experience, particularly Benoit, who has played in 137 career games, including a career-high 78 with the Anaheim Ducks last season. The 25-year-old, who signed a one-year deal with the Leafs in free agency, was only recently assigned to the Marlies and has played just two games this season as a result.
Lajoie has played in a total of 70 NHL games, 56 of which came during the 2018-19 season with the Ottawa Senators. Similar to Benoit, he too chose to sign a one-year deal with the Leafs in free agency, although his was a two-way contract.
Losing Liljegren is a tough blow for the Leafs, who were hoping to see the 2017 first-round pick take some big strides this season. All of a sudden, their back end is looking a bit questionable, as they have also been leaning on William Lagesson in a third-pairing role. Lagesson, 27, came into the season with just 60 games of NHL experience.
What this means is that the Leafs will need some of their star talents in Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander to really help carry the mail moving forward. The entire group has been just okay to begin the season, as they own a 5-3-2 record through their first 10 outings.
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