Honkin Hronek Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 (edited) Good afternoon everyone! I saw a note from Chris Johnston that suggested that the Leafs are looking to move Timothy Liljegrin. Liljegrin is 6'1, 190lbs, and is a right-handed defenseman. He just turned 25, and had 23 points in 55 games last year en-route to a solid regular season performance for Toronto. So, why would he be available? 1. Money, money, money. Toronto needs to save every dollar they can, and it looks like he'll be too expensive even with a sub $3 million cap hit. 2. Trust. It's clear that Liljegrin has been given every opportunity to succeed in Toronto, but the former first rounder hasn't been able to prove he's better defensively than newcomers like Ilya Lyubushkin or Simon Benoit. As the majority of the Leafs forwards are offense focused, he's been thrust into a defense-first role that he hasn't succeeded in. He shows flashes of offensive flair and defensive prowess, but he's also prone to mistakes... mistakes that I think Tocchet/Gonchar/Foote can help ala Tyler Myers. Why would the Leafs want Podkolzin? 1. Money, money, money. Despite struggling for offense, Podkolzin has shown a lot of upside as a middle six winger in a power forward role. However, the biggest draw is that he has NHL experience in a bottom 6 role and makes $1 million next year. With new raises coming to Matthews and Nylander, Podkolzin is an intriguing depth option that doesn't break the bank. 2. Berube. Craig Berube is the new head coach, and I think he'd see a lot of himself in the Russian winger. I think Berube would be able to mold him into a much better version of himself. Plus, Berube would likely prefer putting a bigger body over the boards than small guys like Nic Robertson given what he won with in St. Louis. Maybe they see him as a less skilled Vladdy Tarasenko? Why do the Canucks do this? Liljegrin is flat out a better player than Podkolzin in a position of need. He's shown he can stick at the NHL level and has the upside to be a #4 RHD as a Brady Skjei-lite. He's also the exact same height and weight as Podkolzin. We have the cap space to offer him a bridge deal worth ~$2-2.5 million per year, and he could flourish in this newfound opportunity. Plus, with Garland, Boeser, Hoglander and Joshua solidifying themselves as more impactful wingers, and some more UFA's on the way, it may be best to let him reach his potential elsewhere. It's good for the team, and doing a solid for the player. Liljegrin would have everything to prove, and it could end up being a solid bet. Not to mention, his offense would allow us to let Zadorov walk without losing the 5v5 play, and sign Brendan Dillon instead as a more steady presence. Why do the Leafs do this? Toronto is already shopping Liljegrin, and Podkolzin is cheap, two years younger, and has untapped potential as a bruising powerforward. They give up the slightly better player, but Liljegrin was also heavily sheltered in the playoffs. Podkolzin would have everything to prove, and it could end up being a solid bet. Podkolzin also has certainty, as he won't be due for a new contract until 2026. Hughes (7.85) - Hronek (7.25) Soucy (3.25) - Myers (3) Dillon (3.5) - Liljegrin (2.5) Juulsen (0.775) TOTAL: 28.125 This would give us $11.525 (12.3 after Friedman gets sent down) to fill out the forward group and sign a backup goalie (Silovs/DeSmith) for $1 Million. Guentzel @ 9.5 - Petey - Hog Suter - Miller - Boeser Joshua - Blueger - Garland Matt Martin @ 900k - Aman - Nicolas Aube-Kubel @ 900k PDG This is exactly at the cap ceiling before placing Poolman on LTIR. Let me know what you think! HH Edited June 27 by Honkin Hronek 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogs and Podz Posted June 28 Share Posted June 28 Appreciate the effort... But no. Lily sucks. Scratched for the last three playoffs in a row. Come on... Podz is way higher quality prospect... He's worth way more than just Lily. I'll remember this thread when Podz with the nucks (or elsewhere) becomes a sought after, valuable top 9 power forward in this league. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Heffy Posted June 28 Share Posted June 28 No defencemen who can't play defence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzy Posted June 28 Share Posted June 28 Interesting thought process. I think if we're moving Podkolzin we should look at a higher end player like Marino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoop Hogg Posted June 28 Share Posted June 28 Hard pass. Podkolzin still has too much untapped potential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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