The Edmonton Oilers are clearly in the market to acquire a defenceman in trade this season, and one option is emerging from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
According to a recent report from Elliotte Friedman, the Maple Leafs are exploring trades for 25 year old Swedish defenceman Timothy Liljegren.
The Oilers are in desperate need of a top four defenceman for this year’s playoffs, and while they may originally have targeted a more veteran player, a younger option in Timothy Liljegren could be a better option for the future, and comes at a lesser cost.
Liljegren was drafted in the first round by the Leafs in 2017, and has gone on to play 196 career games for the team. He’s developed to become a strong player in every facet of the game – a quality skater, passer, on defence and offence, while being a premium position as a right handed shot. He’s a fine size at 6’1 and 200 pounds, but isn’t an overly physical player.
The Swedish defenceman has fallen out of the depth chart in Toronto after the team added several veterans in free agency, and for some reason, the Leafs want to get rid of the player as he’s entering his prime. Under contract for the next two seasons at $3M, he comes at an affordable cost too.
There may be more proven defenceman that become available for trade through the season, but at this point, Liljegren should be a prime candidate for the Oilers. If he can bring his profile of a stable two-way defender to Edmonton, he could be a good fit alongside Darnell Nurse who often pinches up in the play and can sometimes struggle with a breakout pass.
It’s a fact that the Oilers are searching for defenceman to add this season, so they’ll surely be considering Liljegren as an option.