NHL insider believes Leafs will be forced to trade Timothy Liljegren shortly

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Daniel Lucente
October 11, 2024 (2:41 PM)

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Word around the league is that the Leafs and Timothy Liljegren no longer see eye to eye on his role with the club, so a trade is likely being worked on as we speak.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have only just kicked off the 2024-25 season, yet defenceman Timothy Liljegren has quickly emerged as a potential trade candidate, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. General Manager Brad Treliving will have to keep an open mind regarding a scenario that could certainly afford the club some opportunities to change the composition of their roster.

Via '32 Thoughts', the Leafs organization is looking to move on from Liljegren. The 25-year-old defenseman was a healthy scratch for the first game of the season as Conor Timmins took his spot on the blue line. With his first-round pedigree and a recent two-year extension worth $6 million signed just this past June, it's surprising to see Liljegren on the trade block this early.

Easier said than it may prove to be, though, Liljegren has a contract and didn't exactly impress during training camp. The Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues are a few teams that have been thrown around in rumors. Those teams all have cap space and need depth on the back end, but Liljegren's trade value isn't expected to be particularly high despite his youth and right-handed shot.

With that in mind, Treliving can dabble in a "salary dump" trade that gives the financial flexibility to Toronto to make moves later in the season. With the Leafs not flush with defensive prospects, the return package may include a mid-round pick and a prospect over a high-end asset. Other teams like the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers have been rumored, but they do have internal options that can replace their biggest holes on defense, making a Liljegren trade less likely.

All in all, the future of Timothy Liljegren in Toronto does seem uncertain and it would appear to be a question of "when" rather than "if". Once seen as a promising piece of the Leafs' defense, Liljegren has quickly become an expendable part of the roster just days into the new season.