The Leafs scouting led by Mark Hunter has once again put in a great start to this year’s draft. Timothy Liljegren was once ranked as the #2 prospect in 2016 before suffering a massive set back due to contracting mono during last year’s season. Liljegren was forced into a shortened season and hence his development declined along with his draft stock. Even after the setback, most had him leaving the board in the top 10, so to nab the smooth-skating Swede at pick #17 is great news and could pan out as one of the biggest steals of the draft.
Liljegren is an offensive defenseman with a right-hand shot. Which is a commodity of short supply in today’s NHL. He was converted from a forward to defenceman and has been compared to having a skill set like Eric Karlsson. Now, there is no guarantee we just stole the next Karlsson at 17, but great speed, solid puck handling, and a scoring touch are his strong suits. His decision-making is questionable at times but with one more year to develop in Sweden and the supreme coaching of the Bab’s, there’s a lot to be excited about.
So to sum this up, the Leafs have a chance that Liljegren pans out to become a top 5 talent from the 2017 draft. The perfect RHD to pair on our top line with Morgan Reilly and another threat on the power play. Let’s hope his immune system improves and he can keep himself on the ice from here on out. The only task bestowed upon Leaf fans is trying to figure out how to pronounce his fucking name. The hype has already begun so I will leave you with this highlight real of what’s yet to come for Leafs Nation. God speed Timothy.
