Photo credit: Jerome Miron – USA Today Sports

Timothy Liljegren has been the odd man out on the Maple Leafs’ blueline and it hasn’t sat well with the player or his camp.

During the off-season, the Leafs and Liljegren agreed to a two-year extension that more than doubled his previous salary per season. Many were surprised at the time, given that he struggled in the post-season once again and doesn’t exactly fit the mold of a Brad Treliving or Craig Berube defenseman.

Some NHL Insiders believed that the Leafs signed Liljegren to make it easier to trade him, which the Leafs have reportedly been trying to do. This week, it has come out that Liljegren may have quietly requested a trade.

On the season’s first edition of “Saturday Headlines” during Saturday night’s Hockey Night in Canada coverage, Elliotte Friedman provided a very surprising update on the situation between the Leafs and Liljegren.
“Toronto is preaching patience with this. They are saying there is no reason he can’t still play for us. However, he’s a 25-year-old player, he wants to playthe Leafs are trying to get him to remain patient and he is simply saying ‘look, I would like to play’ like any player would.”
 

Friedman also went on to note that the Leafs haven’t been happy with the offers that have been made for Liljegren. For GM Brad Treliving and the Leafs, though, they shouldn’t be expecting much in terms of assets for the former first-round pick, given the fact that he hasn’t played and they aren’t putting him in a position to succeed.

While Liljegren appears to be putting pressure on the Leafs, it appears they are going to do the same thing they did with Nicholas Robertson and hold their ground, standing firm until they get a deal that makes sense for the team.