SAN JOSE – Defenseman Timothy Liljegren said he’ll be prepared to play again whenever San Jose Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky gives the word.
That’s not surprising, considering Liljegren was a healthy scratch with the Toronto Maple Leafs for all but one game this season.
“I’ll be ready,” Liljegren said Thursday morning at the Sharks’ practice facility, “whenever they call my name.”
The puck-moving Liljegren will not play Thursday when the Sharks host Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks in the second game of a five-game homestand. He’ll practice Friday, and it would be a surprise if he did not play Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks.
“He’s got that ability to see the ice really well, to make the right reads and execute. He’s got the puck skills to do those things,” Warsofsky said of Liljegren. “He can read forechecks really well and help break out pucks and maybe trap an F3 to give us an odd-man situation.
“I think his vision and hockey sense with the puck (are) probably the biggest things that will help us.”
The Sharks acquired Liljegren from the Maple Leafs on Wednesday for fellow right-shot defenseman Matt Benning, a 2025 third-round selection, and San Jose’s 2026 sixth-round pick. Toronto will receive the earlier of the two third-round selections the Sharks own.
“I’m happy to be here,” Liljegren said, “and kind of get some some confidence back.”
Liljegren, 25, signed a two-year, $6 million contract with Toronto as a restricted free agent this summer as the two sides avoided arbitration. But he admittedly didn’t have a great training camp and was often on the outside looking in, with new Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube opting to instead dress Conor Timmins as his third pair right shot defenseman.
As a result, Liljegren was a healthy scratch nine times in 10 games, which, naturally, affected his confidence.
Did Liljegren, now in his eighth North American professional season, feel he got a fair shot with Berube?
“I don’t know. We had a lot of competition, a lot of good (defensemen),” he said. “Some things didn’t really work out the way I wanted in camp, and I didn’t really play my best hockey either, so I wasn’t happy with how I was playing.”
“It was just like, move the puck quicker. But it’s all good,” Liljegren said of the message he heard from the Leafs coaching staff. “It was tough mentally, for sure. But I thought I did a good job of practicing hard and staying in shape. I’m doing good now.”
Warsofsky said Liljegren would at some point be on the Sharks’ power play, playing up top as Jake Walman and Jack Thompson have been, but he wasn’t sure who he would pair with on the back end.
The Sharks’ top pair of Walman and Cody Ceci will likely remain intact, so Liljegren would seemingly be paired with either Mario Ferraro or Henry Thrun, both of whom are left shots. Ferraro has played mainly with Jan Rutta this season, and Thrun played with either Benning or Thompson.
“I think Mario and (Rutta) have been really …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
