Utah Hockey Club Emerges as Leading Trade Destination for Timothy Liljegren
A potential suitor could be heating up for the acquisition of Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren, and it so happens to be the league's newest team.
Liljegren, who has only played one game for Toronto this season, being a healthy scratch for the Leafs so far, as Connor Timmins has been holding down the final spot on the Leafs blueline, leading to Liljegren being linked with a departure from the team. One team that appears to be a potential option for a recent need of help along the right side is the Utah Hockey Club.
Utah is now without top defenseman, and former Maple Leaf prospect Sean Durzi, who was injured in the team's game Monday against the New Jersey Devils. Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli revealed on Amazon Prime Video's live NHL coverage, that Durzi will be undergoing surgery and is expected to be out for 4-5 months as a result.
Utah is also without fellow defenseman John Marino, who head coach Andre Tourigny recently stated would be out for "months", with no concrete timetable for his return, a huge blow to the team's defensive core.
Both Marino and Durzi are right-handed defensemen, the same position as Timothy Liljegren. Both Durzi and Liljegren are the same age, and the long-term injuries to both defensemen mean Arizona will need to make at least one replacement there to ensure a competitive defensive grouping. Liljegren, just shy of 200 career NHL games played, is a sensible candidate for the right price.
The 'Clean Hits' podcast, which covers Utah Hockey, made the argument for Liljegren as a logical option to replace Durzi & Marino in the lineup for the time being. Co-host Cory Wilkins argued that Liljegren makes sense for both sides given Toronto's need to shed cap room and Utah's open books. The crew also saw Liljegren as someone who replicates Durzi's game well:
Currently, Toronto has not indicated they will sell off Liljegren, although Sportsnet Hockey Insider Elliotte Friedman shared that Toronto would be more likely to make a deal sooner rather than later for Liljegren if the right offer were to come in from somewhere.
Liljegren had 3 goals and 23 points in 55 games for Toronto last season and has yet to register a point this season in his lone game played. Liljegren was a 1st-round pick of the Leafs in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, 17th overall.
