Prospect Info: Timothy Liljegren

[Nithoniniel]

Ristolainen has played over 24 minutes, twice over 26 a night against top competition for 4 years as Buffalos #1 defenseman. He's scored over 40 points each season while being a hit leader in the NHL. He's only 24 and with the right supporting cast should thrive.

He has played that role. He's always been the worst in the league at it. I don't know why we should want someone who is getting slaughtered out there. As an example, Hainsey has played big minutes against top competition and done it better. Risto scores because he's good on the PP, but we don't need another PP dynamo. It would be such a small upgrade there that it doesn't have value for us. So basically, all you have left is someone who hits a lot and has utterly failed at a big job. Why is that worth going after?

He is on a bad team. So is OEL. Their respective performance in similar usage is night and day.

 

[LaPlante94]

Buffalo is not a very good team. He's not in a position to succeed. A good coach and partner should allow him to grow his game. I think he would be huge in Toronto.

Plays on a bad team and that's the only reason he plays 24 minutes a game. That's still no excuse for a lack of 5 on 5 production if he's as good as you say he is. Good players still produce on a bad team if they're the teams number 1 option.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Start him on top 4. Can he be really worse than Zaitsev or Oz?

Bruins, you know the team that's going to finals again? Yeah them. They played Mccovy and Brendan Carlo when they were 18 and 19

There's no value him going back to the A

There’s plenty of value in him playing on a top powerplay unit in the AHL next year, something he never got to do this season (for more than a game or two) and something he won’t get to do next year on the Leafs.

He’s had three regular seasons in a row where his confidence has taking a hit, three in a row where he didn’t dominate: his draft year, where he got mono and a hip injury, last year, his first on North American as the youngest D in the AHL, and then this year, where two consecutive ankle injuries set him back after a good start. Before that, up until half way through his draft year, he was always a player who dominated the ice as the #1D for all of his teams.

Throwing him into the NHL next year in a bottom pairing role (which is where Babs would most certainly deploy him) after a couple good playoff games could only further lower his confidence and ensure he never realizes his true potential, IMO.

The best course of action is to have him return to the AHL next year and give him an extended run on that top PP unit. If he does well in that role, which I expect he would, he can be called up at the trade deadline and play out the rest of the year with the Leafs.

 

[DarkKnight]

There’s plenty of value in him playing on a top powerplay unit in the AHL next year, something he never got to do this season (for more than a game or two) and something he won’t get to do next year on the Leafs.

He’s had three regular seasons in a row where his confidence has taking a hit, three in a row where he didn’t dominate: his draft year, where he got mono and a hip injury, last year, his first on North American as the youngest D in the AHL, and then this year, where two consecutive ankle injuries set him back after a good start. Before that, up until half way through his draft year, he was always a player who dominated the ice as the #1D for all of his teams.

Throwing him into the NHL next year in a bottom pairing role (which is where Babs would most certainly deploy him) after a couple good playoff games could only further lower his confidence and ensure he never realizes his true potential, IMO.

The best course of action is to have him return to the AHL next year and give him an extended run on that top PP unit. If he does well in that role, which I expect he would, he can be called up at the trade deadline and play out the rest of the year with the Leafs.

The timetable you propose makes some sense, sort of like Dermott where he was close at camp but they started him in the AHL again, he dominated and came up full of confidence. The only caveat, this year we are going to be thin on the backend, unless Dubas makes several moves, so kids will be looked at hard. One of Sandin or Lil probably makes it out of camp if they show well.

 

[The Iceman]

I think Ristolainen and Larsson are better options than those listed for similar cap. I'd rather start at the top of the pile and work down than settle for secondary options off the hop.

Ristolainen -27 last 25 games...HOT garbage

 

[Funk21]

Well just watched the highlights from the Marlies first loss of the 2019 Calder Playoffs. Score sheet wasn’t pretty for Liljegren but other than one of the goals I can’t really fault him (pulled a Gardiner and dumped it for his partner who was nowhere near him).

Team was playing loose all night and it caught up with them. Suspect they will tighten the screws next game at Ricoh.

Kid is still 20, watching his positioning he seems to be in the right area. Clean up a few of the brain farts and he will be top 4 shortly.

 

[Hockey Crazy]

Buffalo is not a very good team. He's not in a position to succeed. A good coach and partner should allow him to grow his game. I think he would be huge in Toronto.

He would be a train wreck here.... even Gardiner got boo'd. Risto would be 10x worse.

Anyone can lead in hits when you spend half the game chasing the puck around your own end

 

[Morgs]

Buffalo is not a very good team. He's not in a position to succeed. A good coach and partner should allow him to grow his game. I think he would be huge in Toronto.

See Zaitsev, Nikita for a better defenseman than Ristolainen.

 

[Cor]

Ristolainen is like, the last defensemen I would want to acquire.

 

[Notsince67]

If there is a deal to move z I'd be happy regardless of return

Totally agree

 

[Notsince67]

The timetable you propose makes some sense, sort of like Dermott where he was close at camp but they started him in the AHL again, he dominated and came up full of confidence. The only caveat, this year we are going to be thin on the backend, unless Dubas makes several moves, so kids will be looked at hard. One of Sandin or Lil probably makes it out of camp if they show well.

I thought Sandin showed pretty well last camp, albeit in a sheltered role. Whereas he still has a bit to learn defensively, he immediately becomes one of the leafs best puck moving dmen

 

[Magic Man]

See Zaitsev, Nikita for a better defenseman than Ristolainen.

Could you acquire Risto with Zaitsev? I'm sure Buffalo and all other teams disagree on that assessment. Zaitsev wouldn't see 26 minutes a night even in Buffalo. Risto has already scored over 40 points 4 times and He's only 24. Most young D don't reach their peak that early. A Rielly like breakout for Risto seems likely. In a couple years when Risto scores 70, while laying guys out like Stevens, the comparison to Zaitsev will even be silly to you.

 

[Morgs]

Could you acquire Risto with Zaitsev? I'm sure Buffalo and all other teams disagree on that assessment. Zaitsev wouldn't see 26 minutes a night even in Buffalo. Risto has already scored over 40 points 4 times and He's only 24. Most young D don't reach their peak that early. A Rielly like breakout for Risto seems likely. In a couple years when Risto scores 70, while laying guys out like Stevens, the comparison to Zaitsev will even be silly to you.

Young defenseman almost always show their tendencies immediately.

Risto will not improve, and some team us gonna be sad they acquired him.

 

[Magic Man]

Young defenseman almost always show their tendencies immediately.

Risto will not improve, and some team us gonna be sad they acquired him.

What he has produced offensively for someone his age group is very high and he has done it consistently. Like Rielly this year, Risto is poised to burst onto the scene.

 

[ponder]

Start him on top 4. Can he be really worse than Zaitsev or Oz?

Bruins, you know the team that's going to finals again? Yeah them. They played Mccovy and Brendan Carlo when they were 18 and 19

There's no value him going back to the A

He’s not as good as Z currently IMO. He’s a good AHL dman right now, but not a star. He’s not at the level Kapanen, Johnsson and Dermott were at when they moved up in 2017/18 - Kapanen and Johnsson were total stars at the AHL level, and Dermott was the top Marlies dman by a significant margin. I’d like to see Liljegren be the clear top dman on the Marlies before moving him up to the Leafs.

 

[Morgs]

What he has produced offensively for someone his age group is very high and he has done it consistently. Like Rielly this year, Risto is poised to burst onto the scene.

Rielly has always driven offense - the increase of points and goals are a product of himself improving the abilities that were already there and the team improving around him. BUT, they were always there.

Risto just sucks lol.

 

[Magic Man]

Rielly has always driven offense - the increase of points and goals are a product of himself improving the abilities that were already there and the team improving around him. BUT, they were always there.

Risto just sucks lol.

If he can score 45 in Buffalo, he can score 50-60 in Toronto simply by having a better supporting cast. Rielly didn't have Risto's offense early on. I think he's the perfect project for Babcock. Kadri is a great match up center now, comparable in the sense they contain a lot of offensive skill and can be physically dominant, but had defensive concerns.

 

[Morgs]

If he can score 45 in Buffalo, he can score 50-60 in Toronto simply by having a better supporting cast. Rielly didn't have Risto's offense early on. I think he's the perfect project for Babcock. Kadri is a great match up center now, comparable in the sense they contain a lot of offensive skill and can be physically dominant, but had defensive concerns.

That's not the problem.

1. Most of his points come from the PP - where we don't have room for him. Not only that, points to evaluate a defenseman is worse than evaluating forwards by points.

2. He's one of the worst defensive defenseman and in transition in the entire NHL.

3. He's bad at driving play offensively 5v5.

 

[Mr Hockey]

Didn’t the person who said that say it about 2.5yrs ago? And I think he said from being a top 4 NHLer not from getting into the NHL.

I said it right after he was drafted and the sticky and Leafchief keep bring it up for the last 2.5 years, they will continue to say it next season lol ... seem to be obsessed with me, its strange

I said "it would take Lily 4-5 years from his draft to make the Leafs top 4" this is easily the 10+ time i have repeated this because of those 2 guys, smh ...

 

[BoredBrandonPridham]

I said it right after he was drafted and the sticky and Leafchief keep bring it up for the last 2.5 years, they will continue to say it next season lol ... seem to be obsessed with me, its strange

I said "it would Lily 4-5 years from his draft to make the Leafs top 4"

Yea I remember that. It doesn’t seem unreasonable especially in hindsight.

 

[Mr Hockey]

Yea I remember that. It doesn’t seem unreasonable especially in hindsight.

yea, it was a pretty realistic and unbiased call, some people have a hard time with that

 

[mapleleaf979]

What was Liljegren doing last night? Brutal game. Did u see his pass off the boards to set up one goal, he has no idea about angles or something. Keefe has tried to turn Liljegren into a shutdown D man to salvage something. His draft stock dropped because of suspect IQ and its showing itself. If Liljegren can just control his gap and not handle pucks to much, maybe he can hang in the NHL.

 

[ViewsFromThe6ix]

What was Liljegren doing last night? Brutal game. Did u see his pass off the boards to set up one goal, he has no idea about angles or something. Keefe has tried to turn Liljegren into a shutdown D man to salvage something. His draft stock dropped because of suspect IQ and its showing itself. If Liljegren can just control his gap and not handle pucks to much, maybe he can hang in the NHL.

You're overreacting to a one game sample where everyone played poorly. We have a sample of 50+ games showing us he's been excellent.

 

[Fogelhund]

What he has produced offensively for someone his age group is very high and he has done it consistently. Like Rielly this year, Risto is poised to burst onto the scene.

Read this on Risto. If Ristolainen is back next season the Sabres need to drastically change his role

He needs to a sheltered PP specialist.

 

[RoadWarrior]

Silly me. I thought this was a Liljegren thread.