William Lagesson passes first test as Timothy Liljegren injury leaves Maple Leafs blueline in shambles
The unheralded 27-year-old's chances of playing a meaningful role for the Maple Leafs skyrocketed on Thursday, and he looked up to the challenge vs. Boston.
Coming into Thursday night, defenceman William Lagesson was a player the Toronto Maple Leafs hadn't asked a lot from and didn't expect to need much out of.
The 27-year-old journeyman found his way into the team's lineup when Jake McCabe left their game against the Dallas Stars with a lower-body injury that wasn't expected to keep him out long.
He entered Thursday night's contest averaging a minuscule 11:05 in his two games with the Maple Leafs, and with McCabe returning soon his NHL cameo appeared to be nearing its conclusion.
All of that changed at TD Garden when a can opener from Brad Marchand sent Timothy Liljegren crashing into the boards near the end of the first period.
Here's the Brad Marchand play on Timothy Liljegren pic.twitter.com/8Kuu1QL3Ck
— Rink Rat Report (@RinkRatReport) November 3, 2023
Following the game, head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that Liljegren would miss would miss "significant time" — a blow to a Maple Leafs team low on the blueliners, particularly of the right-shot variety.
Liljegren hadn't posted notable offensive numbers to begin the season, but he appeared to be settling into a top-four role before the injury. Prior to Thursday's incident, the Swede had been skating nearly 20 minutes per night (19:23) and contributing on both special teams units while posting the third-best 5v5 expected goal percentage on the club (55.79%).
There is no way to spin the Liljegren injury as anything but a brutal outcome for the Maple Leafs. That said, it is worth noting that Lagesson's near-term prospects have changed radically — and his performance against the Boston Bruins hinted that leaning on him could yield better-than-expected results going forward.
Lagesson did not instantly become a top-four NHL defenceman, but his all-around contributions on Thursday were eye-opening despite the fact he skated just under 15 minutes.
The most noticeable play the defenceman made was an assist on the game-tying goal from Auston Matthews, where he kept the puck in and quickly got it to Mitch Marner for the setup:
That sequence wouldn't have been possible without a critical effort by Lagesson 20 seconds earlier that helps explain why the broadcast was counting the Maple Leafs' offensive-zone time when the puck went in.
After a Matthews shot into Jeremy Swayman's crest, Lagesson confidently followed the puck below the goal line, made a physical play on veteran blueliner Kevin Shattenkirk and ensured his team regained possession.
That shift wasn't the only time Lagesson made an offensive impact, either. In the first period, he sprung Noah Gregor for one of Toronto's first dangerous chances of the game.
His defensive work didn't include many flashy plays, but Liljegren's injury resulted in the veteran ranking third among Maple Leafs defencemen in penalty-killing ice time on Thursday (1:01) — with a shot block on David Pastrňák to show for his efforts.
Lagesson's night was not perfect by any means, and it would be a stretch to say he played more than a complementary role.
Even so, possession numbers suggest the Maple Leafs tilted the ice in the 27-year-old's minutes — an impressive feat considering how well the Bruins controlled the play for most of the night.
The contrast between Toronto's success with Lagesson on and off the ice on Thursday across a number of key metrics was hard to dismiss.
While those numbers likely overstate Lagesson's impact, they are still impressive. Considering Keefe was blending defence pairings for most of the night due to Liljegren's injury, they also can't be explained by Lagesson getting carried by a particular parter. No other Maple Leafs defenceman had a 5v5 expected goal rate above 46.58% on Thursday.
None of this means that a massive Lagesson breakout is forthcoming. There's a reason the Swedish blueliner didn't appear in the NHL last year and has played just 63 games at the highest level despite being a couple of months older than William Nylander. The ceiling for the veteran probably isn't particularly high.
Still, in a moment of crisis for the Maple Leafs blueline it must provide some relief for the team that when they called on Lagesson to step up against the Bruins he answered the bell. It's unclear what he can do if given a little more time, and a little more rope, but with Liljegren out long-term — and Conor Timmins not close to returning — Toronto may find out shortly.
