What could the San Jose Sharks defense look like after acquiring Timothy Liljegren from the Toronto Maple Leafs?
What could the San Jose Sharks defense look like after acquiring Timothy Liljegren from the Toronto Maple Leafs?
San Jose sent veteran defenseman Matt Benning to Toronto, along with two draft picks, to acquire the former 2017 first-round pick.
Liljegren replaces Benning as a right-handed d-man for head coach Ryan Warsofsky's blue line. So what could the pairings be when Liljegren gets into the lineup?
Option 1: Ferraro gets a new partner
Ceci-Walman
Ferraro-Liljegren
Thrun-Rutta
Option one slides Jan Rutta down to the third pairing with Henry Thrun, meaning Liljegren goes next to Mario Ferraro. Ferraro and Rutta have had an up-and-down start to the season, but giving Ferraro a defense partner with the skating skills that the now former Maple Leafs defenseman has could boost Ferraro's play.
This option also slides Jack Thompson out of the lineup as the 7th d-man. Thrun and Rutta have a history from last season as well.
Option 2: puck-moving third pair
Ceci-Walman
Ferraro-Rutta
Thompson-Liljegren
Scratching Thrun doesn't seem ideal, but Thompson has shown that he fits in Warsofsky's system. Liljegren and Thompson could quickly become the Sharks' top puck-moving pair.
Option 3: Let the kids play with the vets
Thrun-Walman
Ferraro-Thompson
Ceci-Liljegren
Splitting Cody Ceci and Jake Walman would be strange, as the duo has been the best D-par this season. Walman has six points in the last two games and has been the primary point man for the Sharks' first powerplay unit.
Despite that, the Sharks could get a similar pairing from Ceci and Liljegren. The two defensemen were teammates on the Maple Leafs during the 19-20 seasons. Liljegren played 11 games that season.
Warsofsky could run many combinations, but adding the 25-year-old Liljegren seems like a massive win for San Jose on paper.
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