There’s nowhere to go but up for Liljegren, Sandin after first game as Leafs’ second defensive pair

NEW YORK Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren had been a pair of prospects not way back, first-round picks awaiting their shot.

Their photographs got here. Sandin appeared like a bullet, prepared for on a regular basis use, on the finish of final season. Liljegren’s progress — he’s a 12 months older at 22 — got here a bit of extra slowly.

However they've risen, nevertheless quickly, to second-pair defencemen on the Maple Leafs with Jake Muzzin sidelined by a concussion and Justin Holl on the COVID protocol record.

Their first sport in that position didn’t go so effectively, with Sandin on the ice for 3 targets towards and Liljegren two in Toronto’s 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers.

“They'd powerful nights,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe mentioned.

“That’s clearly not good,” Sandin mentioned. “So I want to look at the sport (on video), clear some stuff up, take a look at the issues that I can do and transfer ahead from it.”

Sandin is the extra offensively gifted of the 2, although he's the one Leafs common with out a objective this season. Liljegren, much less flashy, is a steadying pressure who can break up performs and get the puck shifting the opposite means shortly.

The superior stats for each gamers counsel they're prepared for greater roles. Sandin’s anticipated targets for (25) dwarf his anticipated targets towards (16) in 5-on-5 conditions, in keeping with naturalstattrick.com. Liljegren shouldn't be far behind (16.7 to 11.99). Sandin has one of the best 5-on-5 possession numbers amongst Leafs defencemen (55.23 per cent), Liljegren the second finest (53.28).

These numbers could be the explanation a good portion of Leafs Nation have turned on Muzzin and Holl, who're barely above 50 per cent possession and each of whom have anticipated targets towards numbers bigger than their anticipated targets for.

However Keefe is keenly conscious that Sandin, specifically, and Liljegren have constructed their optimistic numbers towards weaker opponents. As third-pair defencemen they play continuously towards third and fourth strains. Now, because the second pair, they're drawing harder assignments, dealing with extra offensively gifted opponents.

“It’s quite a bit to ask of these guys, and it simply goes to indicate how vital Jake Muzzin is. And even Justin Holl,” Keefe mentioned. “These guys play very troublesome minutes, and you may take a look at the stat sheet and the minutes and assume, ‘Wow, this man’s able to enjoying extra, this man needs to be enjoying much less.’ However the kind of minutes are completely different. The obligations and the pressures are completely different.

“And (Sandin and Liljegren) are going to style that, and I didn’t assume it went effectively for them (towards New York).”

Sandin observed the distinction between enjoying towards high six forwards versus backside six.

“Simply the arrogance that they’re enjoying with,” Sandin mentioned. “They know what sort of performs they will make. They’re leaping round and making actually good performs on the market. So it’s a bit of bit completely different.

“While you play towards the third or fourth line on a regular basis, it’s just about the identical factor. Pucks coming down deep and so they’re forechecking you. (High strains) are extra assured. They’re making performs on the strains. So it’s not one thing that you just’re very used to however, on the identical time, it’s one thing that we have to deal with.”

In different phrases, classes realized.

A crew ideally will add one younger participant at a time to its top-four combine. Keefe had been doing that with Liljegren, who had been getting a while with Muzzin. However with Muzzin becoming a member of Holl on the unavailable record, there was no time like the current. The 2 will probably have the identical position Saturday towards the New York Islanders.

“We miss Muzzin on the market, for positive,” Sandin mentioned. “He is a big a part of our crew. However on the identical time, that’s when different guys have to step up a bit of bit and may fill once you’re lacking a key participant. So however I’m wanting ahead to it, for positive. Me and Timmy, we all know what we are able to do on the market. We all know what we're able to doing. We’ve simply acquired to scrub some stuff up from (the Rangers sport) and … sit up for the following sport.”

Keefe wasn’t upset at Liljegren and Sandin. He was upset on the efficiency of the entire crew at Madison Sq. Backyard. He famous the opposite factor that has modified for the 2 defencemen is that they're enjoying extra with the Leafs’ high two strains, centred by Auston Matthews and John Tavares. And they need to have helped the youthful defencemen extra.

“They didn’t get almost sufficient help from how we performed as a crew and that’s what they wanted,” Keefe mentioned. “You bought younger guys again there, taking over large accountability. You’ve acquired to play a lot, a lot better as a crew.”

It appears Keefe is wanting ahead to seeing how Sandin and Liljegren fare on this trial by hearth.

“Regardless of the way it goes — a technique or one other — they’re going to be higher,” he mentioned. “You’re both going to be higher since you proved your self you could deal with it … and then you definately’re off and working, or (it's going to) simply present that you just nonetheless have to proceed to work and proceed to select your spots and proceed to develop.”