NHL Rumor Mill – October 15, 2024
What’s the latest on Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren? Could he be a trade target for the struggling Oilers? Check out the latest in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
THE LATEST ON LILJEGREN
TORONTO SUN: Lance Hornby reports Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren could make his season debut on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Kings.
The 25-year-old blueliner was a healthy scratch in the Leafs’ first three games of this season. He’s in the first season of a two-year contract with an average annual value of $3 million.
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren (NHL Images).
Liljegren’s become the subject of trade speculation. However, he said he’s not paying attention to it and isn’t on social media.
THE ATHLETIC: Jonas Siegel believes keeping Liljegren in the press box won’t improve his value in the trade market. He anticipates the rearguard could become part of a salary dump at some point and questions why the Leafs bothered to sign him at all this summer.
SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday that he’d heard Liljegren had permission to speak with other teams but the Leafs denied this, claiming it’s not true. He thinks they’re trying to be patient with Liljegren and he’s saying he wants to play.
Liljegren’s salary is an issue for the cap-strapped Leafs. They currently have three players (Calle Jarnkrok, Connor Dewar and Jani Hakanpaa) on long-term injury reserve but they will eventually return to the lineup.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Adam Proteau listed the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers as potential trade destinations.
All four teams need depth on the right side of their blueline. The Ducks, Sharks and Blues have the salary cap space to take on Liljegren’s cap hit.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Liljegren could become a salary-cap casualty later this season. That would leave the Leafs with little leverage if they attempt to move him. Interested parties could insist they retain salary in the deal or include a sweetener like a draft pick or prospect.
THE ATHLETIC: The Edmonton Oilers’ 0-3-0 start to this season has Allan Mitchell wondering if a significant trade might be in their future.
There are signs the Oilers are trying to add to their blueline. Recent reports have linked them to unrestricted free-agent defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk and Mark Giordano.
Mitchell wondered if the Oilers might target Liljegren. He noted the Leafs blueliner would cost the most to acquire, including likely draft picks to the Leafs. Shattenkirk or Giordano would only require a contract.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Those options are great for the Oilers. Shattenkirk and Giordano are well past their “best-before” dates and there’s no certainty Liljegren will improve the Oilers’ porous defense.
Mitchell believes Oilers management will remain patient and allow more time for new blueline additions like Ty Emberson and Travis Dermott to settle in. However, he acknowledged the pressure for change could mount if the losses pile up.
Seems the Oilers are suffering from TML syndrome. Too many $$ spent on forwards, not enough $$ spent on the blueline.
They have been outscore 15 to 3. Given up 5 ppg goals. While the Defense has to shoulder some blame the oilers are not firing on any cylinders.
The forwards as a group look horrible. Mcdavid is flying but his wingers are out of frame literally too often. I was watching one of his rushes saturday and was left wonder why neither of the wingers went to the net. When the play was whistled they were near the blue line. Wth. Perry and Podkolzin have been to my eyes the most consistent to date, though j skinner had some good moments saturday.
They miss the edge and chaos that Kane gives this team as they have nothing else close to him on the roster. The fact that there no reaction to that slash on the goalie saturday says too much about this team at the moment.
And while the disallowed goals were a gut punch then opted to fold to easily afterwards.
They will get it going, but everything looks junky right now and not fun to watch. There is nothing smooth or crisp about this team yet. Still feels like they are inpreseason mode.
1Oilerfan, as usual at this time of year a lot of players/teams are seemingly in pre-season mode. They’re too good a team to remain in the doldrums.
We GAVE Phil Broberg to ST.LO. Do you think maybe, possibly he might have come in handy right now?
Don’t know why certain teams dealing for Liljegren would insist on cap retention/sweeteners.
It’s not like he’s commanding $5 or $6 mil per -just $3 mil for two seasons then a UFA. He also has 196 NHL games under his belt with 14g 51a 65 pts and is a cumulative +38. 82-game averages work out to 6g 21a 27 pts and +18.
Both Columbus ($21,105,460 in cap space) and Anaheim ($20,430,702) could absorb that without noticing, and both are a bit thin at RD. So, too, is San Jose, although they have about a third of the other two cap spaces ($7,509,140).
Where the Leafs are concerned, if they do put Liljegren on the block. it will clearly be a cap salary dump, and so can’t take anything in the way of cap costs back. And even there they must be reasonably certain that their own RD situation is solid … and that means a full season from Tanev – who has a history of injuries due to his shot-blocking style of play – and that Hakanpaa, if and when he does come off LTIR, will also stay in the line-up. Their only other 2 RD are Timmins and Myers. If they’re comfortable going forward with them, no problem in moving Liljegren. If not – then what?
It’s like a game of chess when it comes to RD depth. You better be absolutely sure of your move.
Agree about most, but disagree on Tanev, since he started to play on teams that didn’t cave in defensively he has been pretty healthy and has only missed about 20 games the last four years, I wouldn’t call that injury prone
Kent, I was going on the basis of what is said in here
https://www.sportskeeda.com/us/nhl/chris-tanev-injury-history
The guy is a hard-ass warrior … but that shot-blocking style does and will take its toll.
You’re right George, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to dump Lilly like that. A young right shot D with under 200 games played…anyone heard this song before? I am in no way saying this guy will break out and be a star but I’m pretty confident that he will be a serviceable defender. He seems to have all the right skill sets but lacks the one thing most underperforming young players have and that’s experience.
On a team with its cup window open, there’s little patience for a player to find their game but on a developing team he might be a great asset. The thing with the Leafs is they need his cap dollars and if not him, who?Kampf could be the answer but then you’re taking away a player from a position the team is thin at, center. Regardless, it’s preferable if you have tinker like this, it’s via lower line up players like 4th liners or bottom pairing D.
You`re 100% right George, Liljegren needs to get out of Toronto more than anything. Keefe like Robertson did a number on Liljegren. It`s tough when you see a few players screw up and nothing happens to them, then you make a mistake and you`re riding the pine. Keefe did it to Sandin too before they traded him. Keefe isn`t a good coach, never was.
Hey George! Agree Leafs shouldnt have to add to move Lilji. In fact they probably could get a few picks similar to what Zadarov got like a 3rd & a 4th for Leafs to just wash their hands of the 3.0 mill cap hit. I get the depth needed comment but you cant have $3.0 mill sitting in the press box as depth & be crammed up at the cap ceiling. Treliving probably should have moved him in the summer, I could see the Flames take a fly on him prior to signing Bean.
I don’t think the retention comment is a reflection of a bad contract for his age and performance.
With teams like Anaheim and Columbus, they don’t necessarily need another young D. They have their own youngsters that they need to incorporate, so those probably aren’t the types of teams that would pursue him via a trade.
The teams that theoretically need D help like him are likely up against the Cap already, so to trade for him, they would either need salary retention or a $ for $ deal in the trade.
Anaheim and Columbus MIGHT have young RD in their system who will one day make their top roster … but none that jump to mind who you can say will do in the next 2 or 3 seasons.
Liljegren has almost 200 games worth of NHL experience, has been a consistent + player, and has demonstrated decent offensive stats for a guy who seldom saw more than 3rd pairing minutes. He would help both teams right now and has this season and next before becoming a UFA at a reasonable $3 mil per. On both Columbus and Anaheim he’d likely be somewhere in the top 4.
If either could get him for either a pick or prospect at another position they’d be crazy not to do it. His cap hit wouldn’t even dent their massive cap space, and in Columbus’s situation it would nudge them either close to or over the cap minimum while giving them a boost along the blue line.
George O
Here is how I see the Liljegren situation.
Timmins has a history of injuries. They didn’t like Myers the first time he was with the Leafs. Hakanpaa is likely playing on one leg.
Their RD is thin and they don’t seem eager to use Niemela.
However, they have an abundance of guys that could play bottom 6 minutes instead of Reaves, Dewar or Jarnkrok.
If they need to relieve themselves of salary those are the guys to sacrifice….in that order
Daryl, while I see your point … and agree that moving bottom 6 Fs where they have more depth makes more sense than making themselves thin at RD, the three you mention have their own drawbacks in terms of being trade bait.
As matters now stand they have just $336,667 in cap space – less than the bottom NHL salary – but with a projected $5,183,940 OVER the cap once their 4 players currently on LTIR return – and two of them are players you name: Dewar ($1,180,000) and Jarnkrok ($2,200,000), along with Hakenpaa ($1,470,000) and some guy named Dakota Mermis ($775,000).
If, for example, they dealt either Dewar or Jarnkrok now (or both) to some team needing LTIR relief and prepared to wait until they’re healthy to join their roster, that removes their total(s) from their own LTIR pot. If they wait until they come off LTIR, they are in an immediate over-the-cap situation and must make some immediate, simultaneous move.
Reaves is healthy and moving his $1,350,000 hit now to some team needing a bit of muscle would help, of course.
I’m sure Treleving and his cap experts have it figured out, but I’m real curious to see how it all unfolds.
George, that $5 million projection is not nearly as bad as it seems.
1. Current roster contains salaries of 24 players, as Woll is on IR.
2. Hildeby (843 k) will be sent back the AHL when Woll returns.
3. Dakota Mermis (775 k) will be placed on waivers when he finishes LTIR.
4. Waive Myers (775 k) and activate Hakanpaa (1.47 M)
23 player roster (8 D) is then cap compliant at 87.5 M.
Re-activating Jarnkrok and Dewar then becomes a question of which two players to trade / waive. Likely candidates are Kampf, Reaves, Lilly, Timmins.
What the Leafs accomplished is quite admirable – a one month expanded roster of 25 players. Time to figure out the best mix for Berube’s new system.
Reply George, agree, but since he joined Calgary and now Toronto he is playing on teams that are spending less time boxed in like the defence train wreck that used to be the Vancouver defence
Interested to see Proteau list the Blues having interest in Liljegren. He would be another good young addition for their continued retool.
I think that sending Perunovich to Leafs would provide a fresh start for all parties. Berube has a history.
To REALLY spice it up, I would offer Sunny in the package too. Just coming of injury, he would be a valuable addition to the Leafs–PK, 4th line grit…It would take a nice draft pick to be added.
Berube would go CRAZY–he LOVES him some Sunny!!
IP
iowa prince, while the Blues, thanks to the loss of Krug for the entire year and his cap hit of $6.5 mil on LTIR, could cover Liljegren’s $3 mil easily enough for this year.
But since Toronto’s main motive for dealing him would be as a salary dump to free up his $3 mil cap space, there’s no way they could take back the $2,650,000 represented by the contracts of Perunovich and Sundqvist.
Buffalo,Edmonton and Colorado off to slow starts! Wonder how long before teams look for changes! Buffalo is long overdue! Better do something quick before guys like Dahlin and Thompson look for greener pastures! The Eichel deal is still lingering as he is one of the top scorers so far this year!
Should never have signed Nurse who is at best a 3rd line D for $9.25
Brian Savage, it didn’t seem to be a bad deal at the time (signed on August 21, 2021.
Players who were part of the roster at that time, and since long gone, include Barrie, Puljujarvi, Yamamoto, Chiasson, Kahun, Archibald, Khaira, Neal, Larsson, Ennis, Shore, Kris Russell, Bear, Turris, Kassian, Jones, Haas, Kulikov, Mike Smith, Patrick Russell, Lagesson, Koskinen, McLeod, Koekkoek, Nygard
Added to the roster since that signing – and several at fairly high amounts – include Hyman, Kane, Arvidsson. Henrique, Jeff Skinner, Janmark, Perry, Connor Brown, Podkolsin, Ryan, Kulak, Ekholm, Emberson, Stecher, Dermott, Pickard
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Liljegren could become a salary-cap casualty later this season. That would leave the Leafs with little leverage if they attempt to move him. Interested parties could insist they retain salary in the deal or include a sweetener like a draft pick or prospect.
This makes no sense to me whatsoever.
Why would Leafs ever have to add a sweetener when all they have to do is put him on waivers and a team with cap space like the Blue Jackets or Ducks will pick him up immediately.
Allan, if it were that simple, don’t you think it would’ve happened by now?
The Leafs are stuck with a third-pairing defenseman carrying a second-pairing salary. Much better for an interested team to squeeze them into getting a better return via trade.