Conor Timmins may have leapfrogged Timothy Liljegren on the Leafs' depth chart

Maple Leafs Currently Dealing with a Concerning Blueline Issue Involving Timmins, Liljegren

In a recent article from Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, a conundrum was presented regarding the team’s blueline, which is largely set, minus a battle for who deserves to be the 3rd pairing right defenseman.

On one hand, the Leafs recently inked Liljegren to a 2-year extension, showing a tremendous amount of belief in his abilities. However, Liljegren has struggled during the pre-season and has left a lot to be desired during his games.

On the other hand, Timmins has really impressed during his time in training camp and has produced similar results to what Liljegren has produced, and at a fraction of the price.

 

Obviously, nobody knows quite yet which way the Leafs may go with this decision and if, potentially, one if these two defensemen is traded to open up some cap space. When it comes to Craig Berube, though, he seems to favour Timmins just a little bit more as training camp has grinded to a halt.
“[Timmins] played well. I think he’s been highly competitive. First and foremost, playing defence, you gotta defend and be competitive and do all the things there that we need. But I like the puck movement. He moves the puck well. Sees the ice well.”
Conor Timmins - Stats, Contract, Salary & More
There appears to be a strong contrast in how Berube views Timmins to how he views Liljegren, given his comments about the former 1st round pick this week.
“Lily’s gotta do things quicker. He’s got to be a little bit heavier in his battles, moving pucks quicker and simplify his game. He’s obviously battling. He wants to be a guy in the lineup every night, and that’s great. But sometimes you put too much on your plate. Simplify the game a little bit more. And do your job as a defenceman killing plays and being heavy.”
Timothy Liljegren - Stats, Contract, Salary & More
Liljegren recently admitted that he has not played his best hockey this pre-season. The eye test seems to be in line with Liljegren’s admission that he needs to be better.

With the Leafs kicking off their pre-season in Montreal against the Canadiens on Wednesday, the Leafs will need to work towards finalizing their lineup in the coming days. At this stage, though, it would appear as though Timmins may have a leg up on the competition. Unfortunately, that could very well mean a trade scenario involving Liljegren as the team looks to become cap compliant.