Trade Pitch Sees Maple Leafs Dealing Former 1st-Round Pick to Rival

The Toronto Maple Leafs have let Timothy Liljegren’s camp explore trade talks and one proposed deal has them sending the former first-round pick to a division rival.

The website PuckPedia‘s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Maple Leafs sending Liljegren to the Montreal Canadiens.

Maple Leafs acquire:

• Justin Barron
• Joel Armia
• 2025 second-round pick

Canadiens acquire:

• Timothy Liljegren

The proposed deal does seem like a lot for Montreal to give up, but the Maple Leafs do take on Armia’s contract which allows them to get a bigger return.

The Maple Leafs would acquire Barron who could replace Liljegren on the blue line. The 22-year-old is in the first year of his two-year $2.3 million deal. Barron was selected 25th overall in the 2020 NHL draft and could be Toronto’s third-pairing right-shot defenseman.

Armia, meanwhile, could add some depth scoring to the bottom of the Maple Leafs lineup. The forward is in the final year of his four-year $13.6 million deal. This season, Armia has skated in 7 games recording 0 goals and 2 assists.

In return, Montreal would acquire former first-round pick Liljegren who could replace Barron and add some offense to the blue line. The Swede was selected 17th overall in the 2017 NHL draft and is in the first year of his two-year $6 million deal.

---

Liljegren Not Thinking About Trade Rumors

Liljegren has been a healthy scratch for the Maple Leafs and his name has been involved in trade rumors. However, the Swede says he’s not thinking about any rumors.

“Trying not to think about it, not really on social media that much, so I don’t see a lot of stuff. So if something happens, it happens,” Liljegren said. “I’m just coming in and working hard. I love Toronto, I came over when I was 18 and I’ve been here ever since so I love the city, I love the team and I’m happy to be here.”

Although Liljegren is not thinking about the trade rumors, the Maple Leafs gave the defenseman permission to talk to other teams to try to find a deal, according to Elliotte Friedman.

“Toronto is preaching patience with this,” Friedman said. “They are simply saying there is no reason he can’t still play for us. However, he’s a 25-year-old player, he wants to play. I think he’d like to be in a position where he can play. I had heard this week that he had some permission to talk to other teams.”

Liljegren has skated in 197 games recording 14 goals and 51 assists for 65 points in his NHL career.

---

Barron Injured After Controversial Hit

Barron is currently listed as day-to-day after New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba hit him.

It was a big hit, and Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis was not happy with it as he thought it was a headshot.

“When I saw the replay I found the principal point of contact was the head,” St. Louis said.

Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher also thought the hit was dirty.

“They had a clean hit on the ice, we have a hit to the head from a player that’s had multiple, multiple warnings,” Gallagher said. “So, whether the league decides to do the right thing, whether he gets another pass, that’s up to them. I think it’s a headshot, but we’ll see what happens.”

Barron has skated in 101 NHL games recording 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points.

0 Comments