Maple Leafs to Make a Key Lineup Change for Wedneaday's Matchup Against the Kings
The Toronto Maple Leafs appear to be making at least one lineup change on the blueline ahead of Wednesday's clash with the Los Angeles Kings with Conor Timmins a likely scratch.
The Maple Leafs have overcome some early adversity after losing to the Montreal Canadiens in their season opener, picking up a pair of wins over the New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday and Saturday, leading them into a Wednesday matchup against the Kings on a 2-game win streak, looking to make it 3.
The blueline in Toronto thus far has remained the same to this point, with Morgan Rielly pairing with Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson playing alongside Jake McCabe, and Simon Benoit partnering with Conor Timmins. As it turns out, we may see our first blueline change of the season, after Timmins was skating as an extra on Monday, with Timothy Liljegren moving up into that 3rd pairing role next to Benoit.
There has been a lot of focus in recent weeks on Liljegren's status with the team. After a bit of an uninspiring training camp from the Swedish defenseman, rumours of a potential trade scenario have become one of the more dominant storylines in Toronto, with Liljegren at the center of it all. In order for the Leafs to extract full value in a deal involving Liljegren, though, the former 1st round pick has to play. That could be exactly what this change is all about.
This is a bit of a win/win for the Leafs in the sense that if Liljegren comes in and plays well, they will either see an improvement on their blueline with the internal change or boost his trade value as they continue to pursue a deal for the disgruntled defenseman, who was linked to 5 different NHL clubs in a recent article shared by The Score this weekend. On the flip side, if he plays poorly, it could expedite the process, with the Leafs pulling the trigger on a deal earlier than expected to try to get as much as they can for Liljegren before his value further diminishes.
Time will tell how this all unfolds, but having Liljegren play games is a step towards a resolution, one way or the other.
