Sheldon Keefe addresses rumours regarding Timothy Liljegren
Last week, when Sheldon Keefe spoke with the media, he was very clear that Timothy Liljegren, who is recovering from offseason sports hernia surgery, was nowhere close to returning. That's why, when he was spotted on the ice with his teammates at the Leafs' morning skate, there were more than a few raised eyebrows and some excitement in the air.
Hernia surgeries typically come with a near two-month recovery period, sometimes longer, depending on the severity. As such, Liljegren's original timeline had put him on track to return sometime in November. You'll often see guys skating on their own or with the injured group for weeks before you'll see them rejoin the team, so naturally, there was some curiosity over whether Liljegren might be a bit ahead of schedule.
Unfortunately, we're sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Keefe confirmed on Saturday that Liljegren is still not anywhere close to returning.
That's just as well, because the Leafs are still not in a financial position to be able to activate him from LTIR. The Buds are still at the league's salary cap and will have to move a contract before they'll be able to afford to bring Liljegren back. That is, of course, unless another player on the roster is injured and will miss enough time for the Leafs to shift them over to LTIR before activating Liljegren.
