Timothy Liljegren better off playing with the Toronto Marlies this season
With reports suggesting that Timothy Liljegren will not return to Sweden, the Toronto Maple Leafs should prepare for him to spend the season with the Toronto Marlies.
After making his debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the rookie tournament, the hype train surrounding Timothy Liljegren took a bit of a hit. However, this was his first game playing in the Leafs system and there were high points to his game which Sheldon Keefe pointed to after the game.
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This weekend is just a preview of training camp for the 17th overall pick, and the Leafs are getting a better idea of where he needs to go in his development. One of those decisions appears to be keeping him in North America this season rather than sending him back to Sweden. That decision could prove to be a valuable one because the Toronto Marlies has been a top development program for Leafs draft picks.
As Chris Johnston wrote for Sportsnet, the Leafs can control the 18-year olds ice time, the players he plays with and getting accustomed to the NHL ice surface on a consistent basis. An important part of Johnston’s article is the conversation with Anders Carlsson, the general manager of Rogle BK where Liljegren played the past few seasons and why a move to the AHL makes sense.
"“For some players, they need to maybe stay here and develop their skills,” said Carlsson. “But Timothy is very, very skilled so he has that(already). For him, I think it might be good to stay over there and learn how to play on the small ice.”"
That talent was on display at different points of the game against Montreal especially on the powerplay. The learning curve are the moments where the young defenceman decides to pinch. Obviously in Mike Babcock’s system someone would be backing up Liljegren but learned against the Canadiens that if there is no one to cover him, he needs to turn on the jets and get back.
Photo by David Morassutti
Playing on the North American ice is another thing that Liljegren has to adapt to, from more north-south game, versus the wider European ice where he has more room to go wide with the puck and evade pressure. This is something that he will learn with the Marlies, and how to deal with a more physical game.
It was good to see him show frustration when things were not going his way especially on the turnover that led to a goal by Montreal. The reason is because it shows that he is still learning and he can take pride in seeing his coach share the blame with everyone on the ice and not single him out.
Next: Catching up with Jeremy Bracco before training camp
As long the Leafs are prepared to be patient in the learning moments that Liljegren will go through, there is no reason why a player with his talent cannot be successful. Keeping him here in North America will certainly help with that but only if the situation is right for him.