The Capitals newest defenseman reflects on the trade to D.C. and what he can bring to the table.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — Timothy Liljegren was at the rink in San Jose, just finishing up a practice with the Sharks, when he got the news that he'd been traded to the Washington Capitals.
Immediately, he picked up the phone and texted longtime friend and former defensive partner Rasmus Sandin, looking forward to not only their reunion, but a new opportunity.
"He was pumped," Liljegren recalled with a laugh. "It's huge (having Sandin here). I think it makes this transition a little bit easier. I'm sure it's gonna take care of me off the ice here ... it's a good team to come to. I've heard a lot of good things from Sandy, so very excited to be here."
From there, it was a no-stress move for Liljegren, who is looking to offer quite a bit to the team over this final stretch.
The 26-year-old, right-hand shot was brought in to help fill the void left by John Carlson, who was sent to the Anaheim Ducks as Washington starts to retool and prep for the future.
Liljegren, who went 17th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft, has plenty of upside, and the hope, according to general manager Chris Patrick, is that he can be an option to potentially pair with Cole Hutson, who's expected to make the NHL jump this spring. It also gives the team another asset to try and get back into playoff position down the stretch.
"We lost a really good player on the right side, and this helps us," Patrick said of Liljegren. "I want to give our guys a chance to make a push here. So now you get an experienced NHL guy that plays on the right side... gives (Spencer Carbery) some options, gives us some injury protection as well."
For Liljegren, he believes he can be an asset at both ends of the ice, as he put emphasis on how he's been able to evolve into a two-way defenseman over the course of his young career.
In his first practice, he was on a pairing with Martin Fehervary.
"Good skater, likes to have a good first pass starting the rush," Liljegren said of his game. "I've transitioned more from being an offensive defenseman to more of a two-way... excited to get going."
Though he's set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, he's focused on the short-term goal, and that's helping D.C. back up the standings.
"(I'll) just try and come here and play my game, play as good as I can," Liljegren said. "Obviously, the guys here are still kind of in a playoff push. (I'll) try getting into playoffs and try doing my best to help the team achieve that goal."