Leafs defenseman leaves game after scary slip and collision
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman, Timothy Liljegren, had a few unlucky bounces go against him against the Edmonton Oilers tonight. First, battling in the corner with Devin Shore, the young Swede lost his edge and crashed into the boards awkwardly with a little bit of whiplash as his head made contact with the ice and what looked like either Shore's knee or foot on the way down.
Unfortunately it didn't end there as Liljegren returned for one more shift before taking another fall and was seen heading into the dressing room. He played 11:51 in the contest, paired up with Mark Giordano, was a -2, had a one shot on goal and one blocked shot.
Fortunately the Leafs made several trades in the past week, acquiring defenseman Jake McCabe from the Chicago Blackhawks, Luke Schenn from the Vancouver Canucks, and Erik Gustafsson from the Washington Capitals. Their depth is a lot better now in case of injury and in the off-chance that Liljegren misses a game or more, the Leafs now have veteran reinforcements in the waiting.
Liljegren did return to finish the game, but this is certainly a situation to keep an eye on with the playoffs just around the corner. The team will probably take every precaution to ensure that Liljegren is okay before he gets into his next game. It wouldn't shock me to see him come out of the lineup tonight against Calgary just for the sake of his health.
