Timothy Liljegren opens up on his situation in Toronto, expresses frustration with the process

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Tom Banks
October 15, 2024 (2:22 PM)

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Timothy Liljegren was expected to be a part of the Maple Leafs blue line, but now that trade rumors have begun, he's addressed the frustrating situation.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have started the 2024/25 regular season well, and with depth that we haven't seen from this team in recent years, it's very safe to say that confidence is high in the locker room. However, one intriguing situation continues to develop, and that's the Timothy Liljegren trade saga, with Elliotte Friedman recently revealing that the team is looking to move on from the talented blue liner.

"Sounds like Toronto is working to find a landing spot for Timothy Liljegren," Friedman wrote for Sportsnet last week. "He's down the depth chart, not a situation anyone is happy with."

Unsurprisingly, this has brought out plenty of frustration in Liljegren, who believed he could be a part of this Maple Leafs lineup when the season began, but it's becoming clear the team is ready to move on. According to reports, there are at least five teams around the NHL interested in Liljegren, and it's believed a trade could be imminent.

Now, Liljegren has addressed all the rumors, revealing that he's unhappy with how things are playing out, and he would like to get back on the ice very shortly through his work ethic and impressing the coaching staff.

"Yeah, not fun not playing, but I've been trying to come in, work as hard as I can to get back in the lineup.

If something happens, it happens."

Unfortunately, that staff sees plenty of improvement needed in him before he solidifies a role, but with the talent needed to make it happen, there's certainly a future for him in the NHL.

"Lilly's got to do things quicker. He's got to be a little bit heavier in his battles and move into pucks quicker and simplify the game," head coach Craig Berube said last week. "He's obviously battling. He wants to be a guy in the lineup every night, and that's great. But sometimes you kind of put too much on your plate, right?

"Simplify the game a little bit more. If I had to say anything, simplify his game a little bit more. And just do your job as a defenseman, killing plays and being heavy."

Liljegren appears set to make his Maple Leafs 2024/25 debut this week, and if he can make some plays, this saga could be behind us in the very near future, but for now there's frustration on all sides, and it could boil over very soon.