"I love Toronto": Liljegren makes his case to avoid Leafs trade
After an opening night blip where they couldn’t find the back of the net, the Toronto Maple Leafs appear to be rolling along nicely early in the season.
Riding a two-game win streak, Toronto is tied for an early Atlantic Division lead as they enjoy their first three-day break from game action after three games in four days to kick off the season.
But one player who has yet to feature is 25-year-old defenceman Timothy Liljegren, who was the subject of a possible trade report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
“Sounds like Toronto is working to find a landing spot for Timothy Liljegren,” Friedman wrote last week in his 32 Thoughts column. “He’s down the depth chart, not a situation anyone is happy with.”
Friedman later reported on Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast that he’d heard the Leafs had permitted Liljegren to talk to other teams, but the Leafs later came back to him to refute that claim.
Liljegren himself addressed the trade rumours directly this week.
“Trying not to think about it, not really on social media that much, so I don’t see a lot of stuff. So if something happens, it happens,” Liljegren told reporters Monday. “I’m just coming in and working hard.”
Liljegren, who was selected 17th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Leafs, has had an up-and-down NHL career. But it seems that any trade rumours are fuelled by the fact that he’d rather just be playing hockey than any animosity toward the organization or city.
“I love Toronto, I came over when I was 18 and I’ve been here ever since, so I love the city. I love the team and I’m happy to be here,” he told reporters.
He’s suited up for 196 games since being drafted, while averaging 17:29 of ice time. But he’s always been derailed a little bit by injuries and opportunity, never playing more than 67 games in a season and only playing 60 games or more twice in five years.
“Not fun not playing, but I’ve been trying to work as hard as I can to get back in the lineup. It’s more like playing a simpler, easier game. Playing hard and simple,” Liljegren said of his conversations with Leafs coach Craig Berube about how to earn a spot in the Toronto lineup.
Liljegren said he’s been leaning on the support of his teammates while out of the lineup.
“We support each other and they lift you up… it’s still fun coming into the rink every day. The team’s playing well, so it’s been good,” he added.
The Leafs host the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night, with puck drop set for 7:30 pm ET.
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