Utah Hockey Club linked to blockbuster with the Toronto Maple Leafs and a young defenseman

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Tom Banks
October 27, 2024 (10:49 PM)

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The Utah Hockey Club is reeling after three straight losses, and now it appears they're ready to make a deal with the Maple Leafs to turn momentum.

After a red-hot start to their first season in the NHL, the Utah Hockey Club has slowed down in recent times, with three straight losses giving them a 4-4-1 record through their first nine games. While plenty of that is simple regression to what they were expected to be, some of that is also because of injury, with both Sean Durzi and John Marino ruled out for a long period, as they are both expected back in early 2025.

While the team has been linked to many solutions on the blue line, Eklund of Hockey Buzz has now once more echoed the sentiment that this team will be targeting Timothy Liljegren of the Toronto Maple Leafs as a potential option to save their season.

An interesting match for a deal could be Toronto, who have a pair of players ready to come off LTIR and Timothy Liljegren is rumored to have asked for a trade. UHC has a bevy of draft picks and Toronto is light on draft capital, so there appears to be a fit.

With Jani Hakanpaa expected back off Injured Reserve any day now, Liljegren's already fragile spot in the Maple Leafs lineup may again be under fire. Given the depth Toronto has on their blue line, it makes perfect sense that Liljegren could be acquired via trade, and with Utah's draft capital, the two make perfect trading partners.

Most trades will wait until later in the season, but if Utah wants to save their blue line after two huge injuries, something has to change soon, so now we will wait and see how aggressive they are in pursuing Liljegren in the coming weeks.