The Utah Hockey Club and the Detroit Red Wings pulled off a late-night trade on Tuesday. The Red Wings sent the veteran defenseman to Utah in exchange for a 3rd round pick in 2025. While it wasn’t shocking that Utah made a move considering their injury situation — Sean Durzi and John Marino are both out long-term — who they traded for and what they gave up was a bit surprising.
That leads to speculation regarding the Toronto Maple Leafs and defenseman Timothy Liljegren. The Leafs have been rumored to be seeking a trade but stories have ranged from the organization having trouble moving him to the team waiting for the right offer. The Maatta deal seems to hint the latter is more realistic.
There Is a Trade Market for Liljegren
According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, there is a trade market for Liljegren. When asked on the Halford and Brough show why Toronto was having trouble trading the blueliner, Seravalli responded that he didn’t think it was due to a lack of interest. Instead, Toronto is in no rush to trade him and they might be waiting for the right deal.
Seravalli explained:
“I don’t think time is of the essence yet. They’re going to continue to wait to see, I believe the best deal they can get. They’re also hanging on to him in case they have an issue where they run into injury and have to use him. Essentially right now, with Phil Myers playing ahead of him, he’s more or less become the eighth guy and that certainly is an untenable situation at $3 million a year for a team that has roster considerations to make… if Jani Hakanpaa gets healthy enough to return to the lineup.”
Seravalli added there’s not a burning raging fire there it order to move Liljegren and he pointed to some of the teams around the league that have already run into injuries.
Utah used an extra third-round pick to get Maatta. A team that finds themselves in the same situation will look at Liljegren, especially when factoring in he’s a right-shot and is five years younger. He might have an extra year on his deal, but that doesn’t mean a team won’t consider the defenseman.
“I think there’s been a few teams that have shown interest it’s just there’s no real reason to pull the trigger at this exact moment in time,” said Seravali.
The Maple Leafs Can and Should Wait for a Desperate Team
Utah didn’t want to overpay for someone so they went with the less expensive option. Seravalli isn’t sure the Leafs will get an incredible return for Liljegren, but they could get a better return if they wait until it’s a seller’s market.
Eventually, there will be teams that have players go down or find themselves struggling in the standings and eager to make a move. When they are, the Leafs will be waiting. It’s a move that makes sense from an asset management perspective and if that trade doesn’t come soon, Toronto can always use Liljegren should they run into injury issues of their own.