With Cam York on injured reserve, the Philadelphia Flyers are short a defenseman. York’s injury forced Travis Sanheim to return to his natural left side, where he has been paired with fellow veteran Rasmus Ristolainen.
Update on 10/31/2024: The Maple Leafs have traded Timothy Liljegren to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for D Matt Benning, a 2025 third-round pick, and a 2026 sixth-round pick.
Should York and Sanheim remain apart when the former returns from his injury, the team will need to find another right-shot defenseman. Jamie Drysdale has struggled and is too offensively oriented to allow York or Sanheim to flourish, so a Flyers trade would make some sense.
A Flyers trade does not make sense in certain contexts, such as making a trade for the sake of making one or trying to force the rebuilding team into being competitive. There’s one player available on the NHL trade market who allows the Flyers to toe that line.
Look no further than Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren, a 25-year-old former first-round pick.
Although he has been in and out of the Maple Leafs lineup at times, Liljegren has established himself as an NHL-caliber defenseman, playing no fewer than 55 games in each of the last three seasons.
The Swedish rearguard is not a major point-producer, though he is capable of providing offense when needed. In the last two seasons, Liljegren has potted nine goals, 32 assists, and 41 points in 122 games for the Maple Leafs.
Timothy Liljegren Scouting Report
So, what does Timothy Liljegren offer to Philadelphia? Why should the Flyers be interested, if they aren’t already?
Liljegren is neither the fastest nor biggest defenseman on the ice; he stands at a solid but unspectacular 6-foot, 200 pounds. Liljegren is, however, a smooth skater and a smooth operator with the puck.
Passing and hockey IQ were two of his biggest strengths coming into the NHL draft in 2017, and those traits have enabled him to have success at the NHL level, albeit in a limited role.
The 25-year-old Maple Leafs defenseman plays with deception in transition and in the offensive zone and frequently uses his speed to kill plays in the defensive zone. That is the caveat, though. Liljegren uses his feet and his stick to kill plays, not his body.
That is why he has fallen out of favor with Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube, which has resulted in Liljegren playing just one game this season and hitting the NHL trade market.
Flyers Trade Cost
At the time of this writing, the Flyers have $1.56 million in cap space, while the Maple Leafs have $1.26 million (with LTIR).
Liljegren is in the first year of a two-year, $6 million contract he signed with the Maple Leafs on June 30.
Considering that Liljegren is effectively the Maple Leafs’ eighth defenseman, Berube and Co. would likely try to add some depth at the forward position, presumably in the bottom-six. Note that Berube, who was fired by the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 12, 2023, spent a lot of time at Wells Fargo Center after being dismissed.
He has seen as many Flyers players in action as any scout out there, so he knows who would and who would not help his Maple Leafs squad.
A Flyers trade for Liljegren makes sense from a team perspective as well as a logistical one, but the Maple Leafs have already reportedly received interest in Liljegren from multiple teams.
They won’t give him away for free, and with multiple teams interested, the Maple Leafs could try to incite a bidding war as well.
If the Flyers are able to successfully execute a Liljegren trade, they could run a top-four defensive unit of York, Liljegren, Sanheim, and Ristolainen.
Stylistically, it fits what the Flyers are trying to do, and Liljegren is still young at 25. Plus, if the Flyers choose not to keep Liljegren after his short-term contract expires, that allows the team at least two years of runway to get top defense prospect Oliver Bonk ready for the NHL in 2026.
