Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Observations as training camp comes to end

Time for Timothy Liljegren to get the chance prove his value to the team

Leafs fans were excited when the team selected the Swedish defenceman with the 17th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft.

This was a player that was supposed to be a top five pick but had some unfortunate luck with injuries that made him slide out of the top-10. He has had to work hard to get his shot during training camp and it’s time to see if he ready for it.

While he shouldn’t just be handed a place on the team, he has clearly shown the coaching staff that he is progressing in the right direction.

"“Lily’s an important guy for us in the organization and we’ve said that for a long time and I’m happy how he’s progressed,” Keefe told reporters during training camp."

It’s time to see if the 22-year-old has progressed to the point where he can be trusted to play games at the NHL level. He seems to be close considering he was not among the last cuts in training camp and is getting time with Rasmus Sandin in practice.

Jake Muzzin and T.J. Brodie are the only two defencemen who have long-term commitments while Justin Holl and Travis Dermott have a couple of years on their deals. With Morgan Rielly a pending free agent, the team needs to seriously consider what the future of their blue line looks like.

The only way they can figure it out is by seeing what they have in the pipeline and given the fact that Liljegren has been with the organization for five seasons, it’s time to see what he can do. This means showing that he can not only play regular minutes but that he can contribute in areas the team needs like the penalty kill.

Toronto needs to do what they can to make sure they’re keeping Liljegren on the right path. It would be easy to say he should play top minutes in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies but at some point, he needs to show that he’s an NHL player because down the road, they’re going to need him to be.