Tribute Timothy Liljegren Discussion Thread

[BlueForever75]

Lilly has looked great in a small sample size. He along with Sandin should be penciled into the everyday lineup next season as a third pairing. They played together in AHL and were great. If Dermott isnt selected in expansion draft he is as good as gone next season while they bring back Bogo as insurance on the right side along with another LD vet.

 

[Randy Randerson]

Lilly has looked great in a small sample size. He along with Sandin should be penciled into the everyday lineup next season as a third pairing. They played together in AHL and were great. If Dermott isnt selected in expansion draft he is as good as gone next season while they bring back Bogo as insurance on the right side along with another LD vet.

I think if Dermott doesn't get picked (he probably will) then we find a way to keep him around at least for a while. He's being used on the right side just fine for now, and he's a better player than Bogosian even if he's a bit smaller plus does bring some physicality.

Either way, the defense issues appear to be fixed for the forseeable future, just need to keep these guys progressing and develop the next wave of replacements for a few years down the line.

 

[BlueForever75]

I think if Dermott doesn't get picked (he probably will) then we find a way to keep him around at least for a while. He's being used on the right side just fine for now, and he's a better player than Bogosian even if he's a bit smaller plus does bring some physicality.

Either way, the defense issues appear to be fixed for the forseeable future, just need to keep these guys progressing and develop the next wave of replacements for a few years down the line.

I actually never thought about that. If not selected in expansion draft he would be great to have as depth due to being able to play both the left and right side.

Unfortunately its probably inevitable that he gets selected. Too young with great upside not to be

 

[Bluelines]

Yeah @zeke. Why don't you just ignore the facts and only talk about your feelings like a REAL HOCKEY MAN.

Maybe watch the game, it's an odd thought but stats don't always tell the truth or the full story. Turn over the puck vs the Toilet Seats, nothing happens, they have no talent. Do that vs Florida and Barkov, or Boston and Pasta or Colorado and MacKinnon, the puck ends up in the net.

 

[Bluelines]

The Caufield bank pass turnover would’ve really looked cool if he pulled it off. The problem is that it was totally unnecessary in that situation all he had to do was move it up.

I think he’s NHL ready, his two way game and puck moving ability is pretty polished. He just needs to adjust to the speed increase when he’s making decisions with the puck and realize the simple play is almost always a good play

Smart post, bang on.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

The guy is simply not ready for the big show yet.

Not sure what games you were watching, but Liljegren has done well through two games so far. He is clearly NHL ready and already a better player than Holl, if not a ‘safer’ one.

 

[Thissiteisgarbage]

Honestly...Muzzin played FAR worse last night, IMO. Lily just needs some experience and he'll be a good one.

 

[Bluelines]

Not sure what games you were watching, but Liljegren has done well through two games so far. He is clearly NHL ready and already a better player than Holl, if not a ‘safer’ one.

The same one his coach was watching.

Keefe on Lilly today

"I thought he was okay. He had some really good moments in the game. We gave up a lot of opportunity here today, especially on that penalty kill. In the first 21 minutes or so of the game, we had taken three penalties. It was not a good night not to have Justin Holl. That puts a lot on Liljegren.

We wanted to give him that opportunity today. That opportunity will serve him well, but I think it showed that it was maybe a little bit too much too soon for him. This is why we put them in these situations. They will be better for it down the line."

That sounds about right. Keefe was forced to use him in tougher situations then he is ready for with the PK's.

I get that Leaf fans WANT really badly to keep that prospect train a rollin' but lets be honest about what we see ... The guy had a bad game for an NHLer, for a prospect he had a Meh game. Before Robertson was sent down, I said he looked out of place, like he was a few seconds behind the game, many of the same people on here lauding Lily's game last night were doing the same about Robertson. When Bogo and Hall come back, Liliy will be on the bus to the AHL. It's not a bad thing to get sent down, its good that he will have more time to mature out of the spotlight. He will probably be our #6 next year.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

The same one his coach was watching.




I get that Leaf fans WANT really badly to keep that prospect train a rollin' but lets be honest about what we see ... The guy had a bad game for an NHLer, for a prospect he had a Meh game. Before Robertson was sent down, I said he looked out of place, like he was a few seconds behind the game, many of the same people on here lauding Lily's game last night were doing the same about Robertson. When Bogo and Hall come back, Liliy will be on the bus to the AHL. It's not a bad thing to get sent down, its good that he will have more time to mature out of the spotlight. He will probably be our #6 next year.

You realize that the part of the quote about Holl is about the 3 minutes of PK time, and not the rest of the game right? Context matters.

 

[Twine Tickler]

Timmy had a couple times in that game where it looked like he was a bit caught off guard with respect to the forecheck. Lets keep in mind, the Canadiens did a fantastic job all night putting pressure on our D-men and Timmy was not the only one making mistakes. I think it was great exposure for him TBH. That's the level of physicality and pressure you will see in the playoffs, which is potentially what we will need from Timmy this post season. Other than the 2 glaring mishaps, I thought he looked really good. I think anyone who has spent any time watching Timmy with the Marlies would tell you this is exactly how you want to see Timmy play. He is most effective when he is playing with confidence and playing with the puck on his stick. Occasionally he will get burnt by this. It happened almost never at the AHL level because he has grown accustomed to that pace and skill. He will figure out what he can and can't do at this level, I am not worried. I can't wait for the rest of this fanbase to fall in love with his game, its just a matter of time.

 

[The Beyonder]

Good skater, great passer, good gap control; but he really struggles along the boards and when he's pressured. Maybe he's just not used to the pace yet, but he turns it over under pressure quite a bit more than he should.

 

[stickty111]

Not sure what games you were watching, but Liljegren has done well through two games so far. He is clearly NHL ready and already a better player than Holl, if not a ‘safer’ one.

You realize that the part of the quote about Holl is about the 3 minutes of PK time, and not the rest of the game right? Context matters.

Yup. People will just see what they want to see I guess

 

[usernamezrhardtodo]

In the AHL, the NHL is not a development league, Liliy had 5 turnovers that I can remember behind his net, that were needless. The guy is simply not ready for the big show yet. Does not mean he will never be ready but he is clearly a step or 2 behind.

I talked to a friend who watches all the Marlie games...he says that Lilly just doesn't have a fast enough mental processor for the game to make a difference in the big leagues. You hope that those giveaways last night were because he thought he was better than he really is and not because he was just slow to process the situation.

I really don't understand how any of the draft guru's had this guy as a potential 2-3 in the first round. It's certainly not offense he brings considering they had to actually teach him to play defense....so what was the pre-draft hype about? beats me...

 

[Stephen]

Honestly...Muzzin played FAR worse last night, IMO. Lily just needs some experience and he'll be a good one.

Muzzin made a turnover that caused a prolonged cycle in the Leaf end and Liljegren ended up blocking a shot.

 

[Stephen]

I talked to a friend who watches all the Marlie games...he says that Lilly just doesn't have a fast enough mental processor for the game to make a difference in the big leagues. You hope that those giveaways last night were because he thought he was better than he really is and not because he was just slow to process the situation.

I really don't understand how any of the draft guru's had this guy as a potential 2-3 in the first round. It's certainly not offense he brings considering they had to actually teach him to play defense....so what was the pre-draft hype about? beats me...

I don't think the Liljegren that was hyped to go 1st or 2nd is the Liljegren we ended up developing for the past few years. He received some crazy hype that you would associate with Rasmus Dahlin as a franchise level defensive prospect back in 2017, which he obviously didn't turn out to be, but seems like he'll probably turn out to be more of a Rasmus Andersson type defenseman, that is a top 4 who can play on a top pair and be a solid defensive and surprisingly nasty physical player. When I watch him on the Leafs it looks like he's just willing to do a little bit more with the puck than being slow with it.

https://thehockeywriters.com/the-next-ones-2017-nhl-draft-prospect-profile-timothy-liljegren/

 

[Mickey Marner]

He doesn't need to be an impact player this season, but he looks like he could be an NHL'er next fall, which is a positive sign. Both he and Sandin are in the final year of their ELC next season, so it's a bit of a make or break year before them as their value will fall if they can't crack an NHL roster before the end of their ELC.

 

[New Liskeard]

I actually never thought about that. If not selected in expansion draft he would be great to have as depth due to being able to play both the left and right side.

Unfortunately its probably inevitable that he gets selected. Too young with great upside not to be

As you mentioned, based on Dermot's ability to play both sides, his age, upside and cost controlled; one would think the Leafs would protect him over Holl in the expansion draft, especially with Lily playing the right side. Holl is approaching 30 and has a 2 mil per cap hit. Lily and Dermot make it slightly bearable to loose Holl over Dermot to the Kraken.

Not to mention a left handed D needing to replace Muzzin in a few years; pick between Sandin and Dermot playing second or third pairing.

 

[TMLAM34]

I feel like Liljegren is in a similar situation as Sparks was a couple years ago. You know he can dominate or be a major factor in the AHL. You have to see what he can now do in the NHL.

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

I feel like Liljegren is in a similar situation as Sparks was a couple years ago. You know he can dominate or be a major factor in the AHL. You have to see what he can now do in the NHL.

Not even close to the same situation...

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

You realize that the part of the quote about Holl is about the 3 minutes of PK time, and not the rest of the game right? Context matters.

Yea Liljegren has exactly 1 turnover in 30 minutes of ice time and it was on the PK in his first real opportunity at this level. Secondary PK minutes would have been fine I think but he got thrown right into the fire.

He's been excellent and looks ready for more reps. His 5 on 5 play has been fantastic.

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

Keefe's gotta let Lily play a little even if he makes a few mistakes. Not to bench him after one or two mistakes. How the F is he supposed to learn?

When Makar joined the Avs, Bednar hardly benched him and let him play the way he wanted. Look at the confidence that Makar has now. Not saying Lily is Makar but you gotta give a little for the players to gain confidence. You cannot bench them when they are still learning.

Also, we have already made the playoffs and most likely will end up 1st in the division. I don't get why Keefe doesn't want to give more mins to both Lily and Sandin. Keep Rielly/Brodie/Muzzin fresh little bit for the playoffs. You over play them and risk the chance of injury even before the playoffs begin

I wondered about the TOI as well. Liljegren and Sandin barely played in the 3rd.

I know we want to lock up the division but there was absolutely no reason to play Brodie and Rielly 25 minutes while Liljegren /Sandin/ Dermott all played between 13-15. Especially with how well they were doing 5 on 5.

 

[Bluelines]

You realize that the part of the quote about Holl is about the 3 minutes of PK time, and not the rest of the game right? Context matters.

You do realize he said it was not a good NIGHT to not have Holl? No , 3 minutes does not = a night.

Aside for the PK, he looked poor 5 on 5, if I'm wrong and Lily was a super awesome as some of you think he was, he will stay up and play in the playoffs, if I'm right he will go back down, we will know in 2 weeks.

 

[Rielly4]

lol...Do people actually think Lilly is better than Holl right now? Thats absurd.

I like lilly, his skating is great and I like his stretch pass ability, his defending is pretty solid too. That being said im a little worried that he wont put it all together....He is very prone to turnovers and is not consistent at all with his puck handling. If he can be consistent and cut out those mistakes and be a Dermott type player he can be top 4.

 

[PromisedLand]

Edmonton plays an awful low-effort team for the rest of the season so it’s very possible they go undefeated for the rest of the season.

Fair enough. But even if Leafs finish 2nd that is not the end of the world. Trying to go for that 1st place Keefe is overplaying his vets. He played Rielly and Brodie 25 mins; why not use this as an opportunity to let younger players like Lily and Sandin learn. If we lose the game then thats fine... it is not going to put a dent in our playoff hope.

Last couple games of the season Keefe can run his playoff roster to get the team ready. If it looks like we will be playing the habs in the playoffs then probably be tactful on how to play these last remaining games with the habs. In case they try to play "heavy" to wear down our players even before the playoffs begin

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

You do realize he said it was not a good NIGHT to not have Holl? No , 3 minutes does not = a night.

Aside for the PK, he looked poor 5 on 5, if I'm wrong and Lily was a super awesome as some of you think he was, he will stay up and play in the playoffs, if I'm right he will go back down, we will know in 2 weeks.

That's fine if he looked poor to you, but our 5 on 5 play with him on the ice has been outstanding.

Not to mention the fact that he's had 0 turnovers 5 on 5, as well as 0 goals against in those 25 minutes. Hardly much to point to to say he's been poor outside of the PK.

Every defensemen will make the odd gaff even if it doesn't result in a goal but we've dominated the play when he's been on the ice 5 on 5.