Toronto Maple Leafs Make Strong Statement to Timothy Liljegren with Latest Signing
With their defense now solidified, it appears that Timothy Liljegren's future is in doubt as the Toronto Maple Leafs locked up Jake McCabe for the following five years.
Toronto signed defenseman Jake McCabe to a five-year extension on Monday, worth about $23 million. Since coming to Toronto, McCabe has been one of the bright spots in the Maple Leafs' constantly changing roster of defenders. He is a reliable shutdown defenseman with some offensive potential.
With Toronto's Top-4 already decided and a number of defensive prospects in the wings, it appears that Timothy Liljegren is getting a harsh message: There is no room for you on the team.
It would take a miracle for Liljegren to remain on this roster moving forward if he couldn't find his way into the starting lineup following all of the tweaking that head coach Craig Berube has done. Although he has played good defense for Toronto, he hasn't demonstrated his alleged exceptional playmaking ability and frequently commits a crucial mistake or two that costs the Maple Leafs.
Liljegren and McCabe have been similar in that they both have strong defensive stats and sufficient offensive output. This raises the question of why Brad Treliving selected Jake McCabe instead of Liljegren. Given his advanced age, McCabe will deteriorate more quickly than Liljegren. But compared to Liljegren, McCabe performs better physically and has a far more reliable game. Despite being nearly the same size, McCabe outhits Liljegren in hits, and Liljegren is slack for their career averages (although McCabe has 400 more games to help him).
Whether Timothy Liljegren's lack of motivation on the ice, his attitude, or the fact that he hasn't won over his coaches, there must be a deeper problem at play.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 29 | 87 ANSWERS Toronto Maple Leafs Make Strong Statement to Timothy Liljegren with Latest Signing Do you think the Maple Leafs made the right decision signing Jake McCabe? | ||
| Yes | 63 | 72.4 % |
| No | 24 | 27.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
