The @MapleLeafs have recalled defenceman Timothy Liljegren from the @TorontoMarlies (AHL).#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/kor7R7dry5
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 14, 2020
Timothy Liljegren has joined partner Rasmus Sandin on the Leafs roster ahead of tonight’s game vs the New Jersey Devils. Will either of them play?
Why not both?
Liljegren, too old this year for the WJC, was left behind when Rasmus Sandin went off for a month over Christmas only to come home with only a bronze medal. Liljegren didn’t just sit around. He’s on a scoring streak, anchored the top pair for the Marlies without Sandin, and has been impressing everyone lately.
He’s still just a young player, only one year older than Sandin, and the two of them do Stupid Rookie Things™ sometimes. But the rest of the time... This might just be a case of the benefit outweighing the risk of playing talent this raw right in the NHL.
Check out Hardev’s recap of the latest Marlies action for more details.
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The Marlies are still in Texas and play San Antonio again on Thursday. In the meantime, the Leafs should take the opportunity to see both of these players in game action as much as possible over the next three games before their bye week.
Liljegren’s contract cannot slide this year, no matter how much he plays in the NHL. And there’s so many high-cap-hit players on LTIR, we just don’t even need to talk about that right now.
We’ll update you when we know what the playing roster decisions are for tonight’s game.
