Prospect Info: Expectations for Timothy Liljegren in 2020-21

[TheGoldenJet]

Liljegren is ready for the show, nothing left to learn at the AHL level which he dominated (62 point pace per 82 games). At this point he just needs a shot in the top 6 with steady ice time and a steady D partner (Dermott or Muzzin).

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

He wasn’t drafted last year, it was 3 or 4 years ago. Leafs didn’t have a 1st round pick last year.

it’s impossible to know where he’ll slot in next season without knowing the roster.

Omfg I’m actually so embarrassed. I knew it was three years, I thought I proofread my post enough and I still missed that moronic mistake. Damnit.

 

[stickty111]

I love Timmy, but man did he puke all over himself in his first try up here. Just horrendous. Scared to make any plays, and instead made a ton of mistakes.

The good news is that I do think it's all mental with him - it took him a little bit to fully flip that switch on in the AHL, so hopefully it's just a matter of him figuring it out up here too.

As for next year - at this point I wouldn't rush him back into big league duty unless he's really earning it. Even if we don't sign any D at all, having Marincin as the #6D could be a safer choice, and Lehtonen is in the mix as well (and I still like Kivi and Rubins too), so no need to force Lilly in there unless his play is demanding it AND there's enough minutes for him to develop.

Thats a fair assessment. Keefe even mentioned Lilly takes time to get fully comfortable, but once he does, he is a great player who can impact the game on both ends and special teams.
I will find the quote.

 

[stickty111]

I love Timmy, but man did he puke all over himself in his first try up here. Just horrendous. Scared to make any plays, and instead made a ton of mistakes.

The good news is that I do think it's all mental with him - it took him a little bit to fully flip that switch on in the AHL, so hopefully it's just a matter of him figuring it out up here too.

As for next year - at this point I wouldn't rush him back into big league duty unless he's really earning it. Even if we don't sign any D at all, having Marincin as the #6D could be a safer choice, and Lehtonen is in the mix as well (and I still like Kivi and Rubins too), so no need to force Lilly in there unless his play is demanding it AND there's enough minutes for him to develop.

Here it is

"It remains to be seen at this level, but if you follow his progression at the AHL level, I see something similar happening here. It takes time for him to become comfortable and confident. At times he is unsure of himself, but then when it clicks as it did in the 2nd half of last season, he is a very reliable defensive player that is hard to play against because his gap control, and the way he shuts things down in the neutral zone and just his skill set. Once he gets the confidence to move with the puck and can make a play. I think he has adjusted to that quicker in this level I thought he might. He like Sandin and any young defenceman are still having times where it's a little inconsistent then you'd like because of the pressure the opposition puts on you, and it comes a little quicker. You can question yourself a little bit. It's why it's important to keep things in context with both of those 2 guys, and take things slowly, and pull back as we will do with Liljegren here tonight. I think he's just going to be an all round very good and very productive defenceman that can contribute in both special teams, and play against good players. Thats the track he was on in the American league. I have said it a lot but we forget he is only 20 years old. For a lot of cases, it would be a guy just coming into pro hockey, and just playing his 1st year in the American league. Instead, he's a guy who played in a game 7 in the Calder Cup and won it. Played in the top pairing last year and really thrived in that position all the way to the Conference finals. To me, he is ahead of the curve in a lot of ways, but he still is just 20, and Rasmus is 19.

 

[biotk]

I love Timmy, but man did he puke all over himself in his first try up here. Just horrendous. Scared to make any plays, and instead made a ton of mistakes.

And that will continue next year unless they revamp their D. People don't like it, but a player like Del Zotto would be great (and cheap) playing on the third pairing with a rookie. There are lots of them. Cheap, experienced, veteran Ds who can guide a young rookie into the league while watching out for them. Help calm them down. Win some physical battles. Teach them about positioning. Let them feel comfortable that they can just go out there and play their game and take some risks knowing that they have a steady and experienced partner who will there to help get him out of trouble. The Leafs' have, so far, chosen to go a failed route.

(and no, as someone else mentioned I think, neither Liljegren or Sandin are going to be partnered with Muzzin or Rielly next year)

 

[Wafflewhipper]

I love Timmy, but man did he puke all over himself in his first try up here. Just horrendous. Scared to make any plays, and instead made a ton of mistakes.

The good news is that I do think it's all mental with him - it took him a little bit to fully flip that switch on in the AHL, so hopefully it's just a matter of him figuring it out up here too.

As for next year - at this point I wouldn't rush him back into big league duty unless he's really earning it. Even if we don't sign any D at all, having Marincin as the #6D could be a safer choice, and Lehtonen is in the mix as well (and I still like Kivi and Rubins too), so no need to force Lilly in there unless his play is demanding it AND there's enough minutes for him to develop.

He needs to jump out of his comfort level and challenge the league and trust his skills. Basically he needs to fear nothing including the odd mistake. He needs to trust his skating,skills and smarts. Muzzy is a best case scenario to bring him along. I sure hope he doesn’t get in to a pattern like we have seen from Gauthier with his passive boxed up game that has stalled because he thinks its “good enough”. There should be no good enough in a players thoughts or it won’t work.
He needs to be agressive with his next phase to push his development to nhl’er

 

[deletethis]

And that will continue next year unless they revamp their D. People don't like it, but a player like Del Zotto would be great (and cheap) playing on the third pairing with a rookie. There are lots of them. Cheap, experienced, veteran Ds who can guide a young rookie into the league while watching out for them. Help calm them down. Win some physical battles. Teach them about positioning. Let them feel comfortable that they can just go out there and play their game and take some risks knowing that they have a steady and experienced partner who will there to help get him out of trouble. The Leafs' have, so far, chosen to go a failed route.

(and no, as someone else mentioned I think, neither Liljegren or Sandin are going to be partnered with Muzzin or Rielly next year)

Definitely need to sign a right side D or two in the off season. At this point assuming Barrie and Ceci both depart, it isn't completely out of the realm of possibility that Liljegren gets used with either of Muzzin and Rielly at some point next season. There will only be Holl and Marincin if both Barrie and Ceci aren't returning.

 

[zeke]

And that will continue next year unless they revamp their D. People don't like it, but a player like Del Zotto would be great (and cheap) playing on the third pairing with a rookie. There are lots of them. Cheap, experienced, veteran Ds who can guide a young rookie into the league while watching out for them. Help calm them down. Win some physical battles. Teach them about positioning. Let them feel comfortable that they can just go out there and play their game and take some risks knowing that they have a steady and experienced partner who will there to help get him out of trouble. The Leafs' have, so far, chosen to go a failed route.

eh I don't see that tbh.

a) Lilly was extremely sheltered, and his D-partners looked mostly fine. Changing the D in front of him won't shelter him anymore than he already was. There was no real excuse for him not to flourish in that kind of usage.

b) That being said, the team's #1 tough usage dman missed every game he played in, the #2 missed half of them, and the #4 toughest usage dman missed all but 1 of them, so the dcorps overall was definitely a mess in the games he played.

 

[zeke]

He needs to jump out of his comfort level and challenge the league and trust his skills. Basically he needs to fear nothing including the odd mistake. He needs to trust his skating,skills and smarts. Muzzy is a best case scenario to bring him along. I sure hope he doesn’t get in to a pattern like we have seen from Gauthier with his passive boxed up game that has stalled because he thinks its “good enough”. There should be no good enough in a players thoughts or it won’t work.
He needs to be agressive with his next phase to push his development to nhl’er

perfect contrast with Sandin, who played with all the poise and confidence in the world - but was exposed for his physical weaknesses - size and speed.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

perfect contrast with Sandin, who played with all the poise and confidence in the world - but was exposed for his physical weaknesses - size and speed.

Sandin was fearless taking hits to make a play. He won’t just throw away the puck and will take a hit to make a play. I thought his gap and positioning was pretty good. We don’t see him getting physically dominated that much in his games other than taking some heavy hits to much.
I don’t want to see Sandin/Liljegren paired together for quite some time here yet. Not even as a third pair.

 

[deletethis]

Sandin was fearless taking hits to make a play. He won’t just throw away the puck and will take a hit to make a play. I thought his gap and positioning was pretty good. We don’t see him getting physically dominated that much in his games other than taking some heavy hits to much.
I don’t want to see Sandin/Liljegren paired together for quite some time here yet. Not even as a third pair.

Sometimes Sandin's just a little too fearless for his own good. He also has a Jake Gardiner-like tendency to create trouble for himself when he's got a lot of time like a line change or a no pressure forecheck. Gotta love the confidence otherwise.

 

[budzz]

If this team is to be a real contender in the next few years.... and they are with the current core, Sandin and Lilly should be about 6 and 7 on the chart, maybe deeper. As mentioned by a few already at least one maybe 2 serviceable vets will likely be brought in. Injuries happen and either can spot in and out to cover some time. History shows that is when players tend to "step up" and force the team to re-evaluate when whoever is injured returns. I think both are capable of the next step, but not sure I want to bank on it with about a 4 year window with this group. Beef up the D just a bit and we have a very good team and if we get lucky and even one turns into a top 4, it's a bonus.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Sometimes Sandin's just a little too fearless for his own good. He also has a Jake Gardiner-like tendency to create trouble for himself when he's got a lot of time like a line change or a no pressure forecheck. Gotta love the confidence otherwise.

His issue is simple and it is well known. I love Sandin but he is not a strong straight line skater. In fact he is weak. You can see his game falters when he plays faster teams who intercept his passes. His play against big tough mean teams is great. He can take a hit better than any D in Leafs org. And watch closely when guys run him who are twice his size. They end up on da ice.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

His issue is simple and it is well known. I love Sandin but he is not a strong straight line skater. In fact he is weak. You can see his game falters when he plays faster teams who intercept his passes. His play against big tough mean teams is great. He can take a hit better than any D in Leafs org. And watch closely when guys run him who are twice his size. They end up on da ice.

He’s a kid growing for years yet. I like his jump on the offensive blueline and the way he pounces on opportunities. Lots to learn yet for him. Liljegren with Muzzy and Sandin with Dillon would be nice. Replacing Johnsson with Robertson opens up room for a Ufa like Dillon

 

[Mickey Marner]

I sure hope our best RD prospect can crack one of the worst right sides in the league in his D+4 season.

 

[Merrrlin]

My expectations have plumetted for him, to be honest. When I watch Marlies highlights, he looks incredible, but his time in Toronto was...not good. I'd rather ice Ceci as of today. We will see what next year brings. He needs to slot in next to someone steady.

 

[kb]

Here comes the reasons the Leafs can't have nice things. Kid just turned 21, but let's label him.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Here comes the reasons the Leafs can't have good things. Kid just turned 21, but let's label him.

Sad but true.

 

[stickty111]

My expectations have plumetted for him, to be honest. When I watch Marlies highlights, he looks incredible, but his time in Toronto was...not good. I'd rather ice Ceci as of today. We will see what next year brings. He needs to slot in next to someone steady.

It looked mental for him at the NHL level. He will be fine.

 

[stickty111]

Here comes the reasons the Leafs can't have good things. Kid just turned 21, but let's label him.

These are likely the same kind of fans who called Kadri a bust. When did Kadri become a full time member? 22 years old? You would think people would learn from his development, but nope.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Here comes the reasons the Leafs can't have good things. Kid just turned 21, but let's label him.

It used to be a defender got 6-8 years of minor pro and pro development before anyone cast a judgement. times have change badly in this regard. it is still da hardest position to learn and play. and that was with proper development and vet partnering too.

 

[stickty111]

His issue is simple and it is well known. I love Sandin but he is not a strong straight line skater. In fact he is weak. You can see his game falters when he plays faster teams who intercept his passes. His play against big tough mean teams is great. He can take a hit better than any D in Leafs org. And watch closely when guys run him who are twice his size. They end up on da ice.

I think Sandin's foot speed will improve. It won't ever be elite but speed isn't really part of his game. It's more about his edge work and able to escape pressure, and playmaking ability. He has top pairing potential but just needs development. Both him and Lilly would do well with Muzzin.

 

[stickty111]

It used to be a defender got 6-8 years of minor pro and pro development before anyone cast a judgement. times have change badly in this regard. it is still da hardest position to learn and play. and that was with proper development and vet partnering too.

It's funny Rielly didn't fully breakout until he was 22-23 years old. It takes longer for defensemen.

 

[kb]

It's funny Rielly didn't fully breakout until he was 22-23 years old. It takes longer for defensemen.

It really does.

Newly crowned 2019-2020 CHL defenceman of the year Noel Hoefenmayer is almost 4 months older than Liljegren.

 

[Merrrlin]

It's funny Rielly didn't fully breakout until he was 22-23 years old. It takes longer for defensemen.

We're spoiled by the Makar's of the world.EDIT: lol even Makar is 21, so scratch that.

McAvoy was 20 in his rookie stint, same age as Lilly now. Easy to forget how young Lilly is.

With that being said, I don't want him playing unless it's beside a defensively strong player.