Timothy Liljegren took a long road to get to the show for a first-round NHL Draft pick, but has since become become one of Toronto’s more consistent defensemen.
When Timothy Liljegren met with reporters in September of 2021, he was reaching the final year of his entry-level contract having played just 13 NHL games. He told them that this was the season he had to show that he could become an everyday NHLer... And he did it
But it wasn’t because he scored five goals and has 18 assists in 61 regular season games in 2021-22. It wasn't his offensive play that Toronto had been waiting for in Liljegren. That was already apparent when they drafted the Swedish defenseman in the first round (17th overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft.
It was his commitment to defense at the professional level on North-American ice that turned things for Liljegren and it started back to his first couple of years with the Toronto Marlies where he had to learn how to defend consistently.
"It started to come and you could see it blossoming," Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of Liljegren, who also coached him with the Marlies. "He was starting to become a great defender which I don’t think anyone would have said that about him going into the draft. That’s why he’s been able to have a solid foundation here to build upon."
With each game that Liljegren has played, he's one of the more dependable Maple Leafs defenders. One of those turning points came last season when the club acquired Mark Giordano just before the NHL trade deadline on Mar. 17, 2022. Both players found instant chemistry with one another and Liljegren became a sponge and learned from Giordano how to position one's self for maximum coverage with minimal movement.
This season, Liljegren's development has been more apparent when he's been asked to fill in as a Top-4 (and in most cases Top-2) defenseman as veteran players like TJ Brodie, Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, and others have seen stretches of time injured.
The 23-year-old defenseman filled in the holes in the lineup and has gained more confidence.
With the comfort of being an everyday player in the NHL, Liljegren has now been able to display all of the other offensive traits that made him so highly touted.
On Wednesday against the New York Rangers, he was able to read the play and pinch in down low for a game-tying goal in the third period.
Liljegren was able to read the play and skate around Rangers forward Chris Kreider for the game-tying goal with 4:11 to go in regulation time.
“I think I do feel more comfortable going down (low) now,” Liljegren said. “Especially in that time in the game when we are down one goal and you need a goal so I tried to get some more offense in. If it’s 2-2, maybe I stay more back a bit. But I do feel more confident in those areas.”
The Swedish defenseman missed the beginning of the season with a hernia that was discovered when he arrived for training camp. When he made his season debut on Nov. 5 against the Boston Bruins, he didn’t look out of place in helping his team hand the Bruins just their second loss of the season at the time.
There will be one more test for Liljegren to come and it won’t be until April when the playoffs arrive. The talented defender was limited to just two games in Toronto’s series with Tampa and he’ll have to continue to demonstrate his excellent play at the post-season level.
But between now and then, Liljegren can continue to work on his consistency, which has improved with each night.