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Newly acquired San Jose Sharks defenseman Timothy Liljegren is excited about his fresh start but told reporters what went wrong with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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The Maple Leafs hired Craig Berube as their new head coach this season, and when he was asked if he was given a fair shot in training camp, Liljegren said there was a lot of competition.
“I don’t know. We had a lot of competition, a lot of good D & things didn’t really work out the way I wanted in camp,” Liljegren said. “[I] didn’t really play my best hockey either.”
The 25-year-old said he found out about the trade while making dinner when Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving called him on the phone.
“I was excited. Obviously, [it is a] young team, an exciting team [with] lots of talent,” Liljegren said about joining the Sharks. “It’s been a little stressful since the call with packing all my stuff and the flight, but [I’m] happy to be here.”
Liljegren has played one game this season, Oct. 16, against the Los Angeles Kings. The defenseman told reporters he is healthy and hasn’t missed any practice time.
“It was just like moving the puck quicker, but it’s all good,” Liljegren said about why he wasn’t getting in the lineup. “It was tough mentally, sure, but I thought I did a good job of practicing hard and staying in shape, so I’m feeling good now.”
There are no issues with Timothy Liljegren’s work visa, by the way.
He says he’s ready to play whenever Warsofsky wants to put him in
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 31, 2024
Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofksy has high hopes for the defenseman. He told reporters he expects to give Liljegren a chance to run a powerplay.
“That’s why Mike [Grier] probably acquired him, right? Continuing to improve our puck-moving ability, five on five, and the powerplay,” Warsofsky said. “We’ve tried [Jack] Thompson and [Jake Walman] up there on the top, and we’ll give Lily here a shot. We have high hopes that he can help us in our back end.”
Liljegren said he knows Carl Grundstrom as they were teammates on the Toronto Marlies when they won a Calder Cup in 2018. The Swede also knows Fabian Zetterlund from the Swedish National Team.
“I don’t know a ton [about San Jose, but it is] always nice to be here playing. I know [Joe Thornton] and [Patrick Marleau] a little bit from Toronto, and they said they loved it here. They are legends in the organization, so it should be fun.”
📸: Timothy Liljegren via IG: 💙
“Thank you Toronto for making my dream of playing in the NHL true. I’ll always hold Toronto close to my heart and loved every minute of my 7 years in the organization! Have met amazing people and have made friends that’ll last a lifetime.”… pic.twitter.com/SHftsnZLef
— Leafslatest (@Leafslatest) October 31, 2024
Liljegren won’t play against the Chicago Blackhawks.
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