Maple Leafs could be exploring a trade for their costly first-round pick

The Toronto Maple Leafs played the Detroit Red Wings in their last preseason game of the year tonight. The fact that veteran defenseman Timothy Liljegren did not suit up for the game was noteworthy, according to team reporter Jonas Siegel. The Leafs decided to give both Connor Timmins and Phillippe Myers one more game before the regular season begins on Wednesday against Montreal.

This is kind of a big deal. With 196 games played during the regular season-all with the Maple Leafs-Liljegren has now established himself as a veteran. The upcoming few seasons will probably be among the best of his career because, at 25, he is also just entering his prime. Although teams usually prefer to play their actual lineups for their final preseason games, it's possible that they simply decided to give him the night off because they've seen enough from him. This may indicate that Liljegren is headed toward a healthy scratch on opening night.

This is what well-known Leafs supporter Steve Dangle has been saying for a while regarding Liljegren. He has stated categorically that he believes Timmins and Myers, who are making league minimum, are better players than Liljegren and that Liljegren is not worth his cap hit. Maybe Craig Berube concurs with him.

Nevertheless, based on Liljegren'sstats, they are actually quite good. But these figures rarely tell the whole story, and Liljegren just doesn't seem to fit in Toronto for some reason. What's worse for Toronto players is that his postseason performance has been exactly the same as that of his teammates.

As of right now, Liljegren's status has not been updated by the Leafs. He will most likely be on the roster for opening night as a result. However, that is a different story entirely, with far less certainty surrounding whether or not he finishes the season with the Leafs.