Timothy LiljegrenFred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Anaheim Ducks’ regular season isn’t set to kick off until Saturday, and the trade deadline is nearly five months away. However, it’s not too early for general manager Pat Verbeek to consider adding players in-season who could help the franchise long-term.
Usually, the list of trade targets is purely hypothetical at this point in the season, but Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren could end up on the trade market sooner than later.
According to Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, Toronto was willing to entertain trade offers before the 25-year-old went to arbitration during the offseason. He has done little to solidify his standing with the team since.
“The Leafs were open to trading Timothy Liljegren in the summer as the threat of arbitration loomed,” Siegel wrote on October 4. “They eventually brought him back on a two-year deal. He has already fallen down the depth chart and maybe even out of the opening night lineup.”
Indeed, Liljegren was a healthy scratch for Toronto’s opener against the Montreal Canadiens, and the speculation surrounding him has not dissipated.
“Sounds like Toronto is working to find a landing spot for Timothy Liljegren. He’s down the depth chart, not a situation anyone is happy with,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman wrote on Wednesday.
As Friedman noted, neither Liljegren nor the Leafs are likely pleased with the way things have unfolded. The 17th pick in the 2017 draft was expected to be, if not a centerpiece player, at least a regular contributor.
Yet after seeing an increase in playing time each of the past four seasons—Liljegren averaged just under 20 minutes—the former AHL All-Star appears to be back in a pure depth role.
That’s probably not where the Swede expected to be at this point in his career, and Toronto probably doesn’t love the prospect of paying $3 million annually to a spare defender over the next two seasons.
Now, as Bleacher Report’s Lyle Richardson recently noted, it’s probably too early in the year to actively shop Liljegren because “They’ll need to keep him as insurance in case injuries sideline a right-shot defenseman like Chris Tanev and Jani Hakanpää for a lengthy period.”
However, that doesn’t mean Liljegren won’t be available well ahead of the trade deadline. If he is, Anaheim should be very interested.
The Ducks are clearly in a reloading stage. They won just 27 games last year and haven’t been to the postseason since 2018. However, Verbeek hasn’t limited his rebuilding efforts to the draft alone.
Though Anaheim did little in free agency, it tried to make a splash move, according to The Athletic’s Eric Stephens.
“The Athletic learned from league sources that the Ducks made big offers to Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, both of whom ultimately signed in Nashville. The Ducks took their swings. They just didn’t connect,” he wrote on July 1.
While targeting Liljegren wouldn’t amount to a home run effort, it would make a ton of sense. He’s been held back by limited opportunities more than poor play in Toronto, and he’s still young enough to become a building block for a team such as Anaheim.
The Ducks have a reliable right defenseman in Radko Gudas, but it could provide Liljegren with opportunities early and often. With $20.6 million in cap space available, Anaheim can certainly afford to take a flier on a former first-round pick entering his playing prime.
The unknown, of course, is what Toronto will want in return. The Ducks aren’t exactly loaded with desirable trade chips they’re looking to unload—though David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported in June that Trevor Zegras could be available, albeit at “a very high price.”
Anaheim also has a first- and two third-round picks in next year’s draft—its second-rounder went to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Cutter Gauthier trade—though a Round 1 selection would be far too steep for Liljegren alone.
However, the Ducks should target Liljegren if and when he becomes available and make a serious push to land him. Verbeek is trying to build a young team that has enough upside to become a perennial contender in the not-too-distant future.
Liljegren, who has flashed promise in a limited role, fits that plan perfectly.
