The defenseman was placed on long-term injured reserve to start the season and isn’t eligible to be activated until Nov. 5 at the earliest.
After taking in his usual skating session with development and skills staff, Timothy Liljegren joined the Toronto Maple Leafs for their morning skate ahead of their game against the Ottawa Senators on Friday.
The 23-year-old Liljegren had hernia surgery before training camp opened in September and it’s certainly a good sign that he’s getting better every day. But it doesn’t appear as though the timeline for his return has changed.
“He’s moving good and feeling good, but anytime there is something internal going on there and he’s had the repair done, they’re going to be really cautious before he gets into any contact,” Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of Liljegren. “He’s quite a ways away.”
When training camp opened on Sept. 24, Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas put a mid-November timeline on the Swede’s return. The Maple Leafs placed Timothy Liljegren’s $1.4 million salary cap hit on long term injured reserve (LTIR) as a means to help get themselves cap compliant in time for Monday’s deadline. Even if Liljegren were to have a speedier recovery than expected, he’d be unavailable to play until Nov. 5 at the earliest given the requisite rule of missing a minimum of 10 games and 24 days under LTIR.
Liljegren signed a two-year, $2.8 million contract extension with the Leafs in June. He became a regular fixture on the right side of Mark Giordano when the veteran joined the Leafs in March.
The Leafs have had Rasmus Sandin play on the right side of Giordano with Liljegren out of the lineup.
Breaking out for his first full NHL season, Liljegren had five goals and 24 points in 74 games with Toronto in 2021-22.
UPDATE: The Maple Leafs placed Murray on long-term injured reserve and called up Erik Kallgren.