That was pretty, he's starting to show some offensive IQ I had some doubts he was capable of
People just don't realize how hard it is to produce as a teenage defensemen in the AHL, especially given the role he had last year.
Even with next to zero powerplay time last year he still had the 16th highest PPG ever for a 19 year old D-man in the AHL. Right behind Brent Burns, Ryan Suter, and Vyacheslav Voynov.
As an 18 year old he had the highest PPG ever until Sandin blew away that record last year.
Now, at an age where most kids enter the AHL, he is playing close to 30 minutes a night, is the defensive presence between him and Sandin, and is also producing in a secondary PP situation.
The offense has always been there, but the Leafs will benefit heavily from Liljegren focusing on his defensive game almost exclusively last year.