Following a disappointing defeat to the Anaheim Ducks, the San Jose Sharks should be looking around the league to continue to improve their roster with young talent. On Sportsnet's Saturday headlines, insider Elliotte Friedman brought up an interesting situation that the San Jose sharks could exploit. It involves the Toronto Maple Leafs and Swedish defenseman Timothy Liljegren. Liljegren is a former high draft pick who could help the Sharks solve some of the defensive issues plaguing the roster.
Liljegren's situation is complex. He's not in the Leafs' lineup, as new head coach Craig Berube seems to have alternate preferences for the position. Instead, that contract at $3 million a year this year and next is sitting in the press box. It's a waste of cap space for a team that is desperate for it, and the Sharks could exploit that with clever asset management if Mike Grier plays his cards correctly.
At 25, Liljegren is not the young, promising blueliner he was many years ago. He was a projected top-five pick in 2017 but fell to Toronto. He's never quite reached his expected heights in the blue and white of the Maple Leafs, but this could be a situation where a change of scenery to a market with less pressure allows the player to flourish. Also, constant playing time could be a factor here since Liljegren has never had that.
San Jose has the cap space to comfortably eat the contract. There's a hole on the right side of the defense, and the blue line in the Bay Area hasn't had the most promising start to the season, anyway. With morale damaged after Macklin Celebrini's injury, a case can be made for a new acquisition to bolster the organization's and the locker room's position. Toronto could benefit from the cap space, and the Sharks could get a good player with upside for very little.
Where this would hit a snag is the asking price. If Toronto wants more than a third-round pick for the player, it's not worth it. However, a third-round pick for a player that you can play in a bigger tole and perhaps get more for him at the trade deadline next trade deadline. There's logic to this, depending on what happens with Liljegren in Toronto. We will see where this leads.