Maple Leafs Camp Notes: Liljegren on bubble as roster takes shape

TORONTO — Craig Berube gives it to you straight, no chaser.

So, let's present the Toronto Maple Leafs head coach's pre-season assessment of two right-shot, third-pair defencemen battling for NHL work and let you be the judge.

Berube on Conor Timmins: "He's played well. I think he's been highly competitive. First and foremost, playing defence, you gotta defend and be competitive and do all the things there that we need. But I like the puck movement. He moves the puck well. Sees the ice well."

Berube on Timothy Liljegren: "Lily's gotta do things quicker. He's got to be a little bit heavier in his battles, moving pucks quicker and simplify his game. He's obviously battling. He wants to be a guy in the lineup every night, and that's great. But sometimes you put too much on your plate. Simplify the game a little bit more. And do your job as a defenceman killing plays and being heavy."

Liljegren is a 2017 first-round pick who has still yet to establish himself as an every-day Leaf, as evidenced by Berube dressing the more cap-friendly Timmins (and Jake McCabe placeholder Philippe Myers) in Toronto's 3-2 pre-season win over the Grand Rapids Griffins-like Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.

This was as near to an Opening Night lineup as we've seen, and Liljegren wasn't part of it.

Trade whispers are bubbling. Toronto must find a way to get cap compliant by Monday at 5 p.m. ET. Liljegren's $3-million cap hit is too high for a sixth or seventh D-man.

Liljegren admits that his game has lacked "flow" and that he's still adjusting to Berube's more physical and direct system. Confidence is low.

"I'm working. Trying to earn my spot," Liljegren said.

"Not my best hockey, but it's been OK."

Liljegren is only 25 and he has shown flashes of strong play and an ability to chip in on a man-advantage.

Can the Leafs find a buyer?

Or can Berube find some patience while Liljegren adjusts and improves?

Robertson makes the cut: 'It means a lot'

More than four years after he scored his first NHL goal — a post-season marker in the 2020 bubble — Nick Robertson will make the Maple Leafs' opening roster for the first time.

Berube singled out the hardworking winger as the biggest pre-season surprise. And not only because the 23-year-old pumped in five goals in four exhibition games.

"I knew he was skilled, fast, could shoot. But what surprised me about him so far in camp is his work ethic and his competitiveness have been excellent," Berube said. "For me, that's what's going to make him a real good player in this league."

Robertson skated through some discomfort after an awkward hit in Thursday's 2-0 win in Detroit and was given a breather Saturday but expect him in the lineup in Montreal on Wednesday for the first one that matters.

"It means a lot. I was actually talking to my parents about it," the California native said.

"They’re going to come up for it. It was something I was thinking about coming into camp, and I’m glad it could start like that."

Scratched in Game 7 of the playoffs, Robertson struggled to fully gain the former coach's trust. He's starting off in the new one's good books.

"He's a little bit more relaxed this year. And sometimes when you want it so bad, it can almost be counterproductive, I believe. But he wants it, and he works, and he competes," Auston Matthews says.

"He's had a bit of a different attitude this year, in a positive way. And obviously it's showed in the games that he's been playing and the way he's been able to produce."

Nylander-at-centre experiment dies a million deaths

"I'll take Topics We're Tired of Discussing for $92 million, Alex."

William Nylander practised at his usual right wing all week. His most recent trial up the middle ended after a game-and-a-half of pre-season action.

He's an excellent winger, one of the best. And we can't recall any All-Star winger making a permanent jump to centre nine years into his NHL career (feel free to drop one in the comments).

"I told Willy to keep banging away at it. Keep working. Keep taking reps in practice. Like, it's a work in progress," Berube said.

The coach maintains that, with improved faceoff success and more effective defensive positioning, Nylander could become a good option up the middle. The coach's actions are evident, though: It's not the first option.

"It takes time. It's not just going to happen overnight," Berube said. "I don't think we need to talk about it anymore, to be honest."

We'll talk about the new plan, then: John Tavares centring Nylander and Max Domi on an offensively dangerous second line.

"Max is a really good passer," Berube said. "And Willy can score goals and shoot. And you've got Johnny T there in the middle. We've got a few guys on that line that can take faceoffs, play down low, which is great.

"I feel it's a good combination. A lot of speed on the wings and a lot of work by 91 in the middle of the ice, especially around the net. He's good there, scores goals there, wins battles there. So, I feel it could be a good line."

The removal of Nylander as a go-to pivot opens a wonderful opportunity for cap-friendly Pontus Holmberg to play 3C and make the cut — something the Swede failed to do out of training camp last fall.

"He's got great hockey IQ. He's been highly competitive in the battles and winning battles and making subtle little plays from the middle of the ice for us," said Berube, a fast fan. "And very reliable defensively."

Pacioretty's one-year contract incoming

The safest bet in hockey is a pair of one-year contracts for Toronto's two veteran PTO forwards, Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz, the price of which should slam the Maple Leafs hard against the cap ceiling as they maximize LTIR (Jani Hakanpää).

As a 35-year-old, Pacioretty's deal is eligible for performance bonuses. Such a structure could roll over some of the winger's cap hit to 2025-26, when the cap jumps again and some big deals (Tavares's $11 million, for one) come off the books.

Berube likes Pacioretty's experience and ability to extend plays with his strength and reach.

"We drew a few penalties because he was strong on the pucks and winning battles on the walls. He has the ability to score goals," Berube noted.

"He's scored a lot of goals in his league with his shot. So, I think he can be a real good player on the walls, winning battles, hanging on to pucks in the offensive zone. That's how we want to play. We want to have O-zone time. We want to hang onto the puck. We want to wear teams down."

Steven LO-rentz vs. Steven LAW-rence

Thought we were done with surname pronunciation debates after Ilya Samsonov walked? Think again.

Does Lorentz go by "LO-rentz" (how it's spelled) or by "Lawrence" (like Jennifer, Taylor, and Of Arabia)?

When Lorentz scored his first goal in a Leafs uniform Saturday, the in-arena announcer used the first version and the TV commentors opted for the second.

We asked Toronto's four-liner to clear up the madness, and he chuckled: "My dad says, 'All that matters is that they're saying your name. Who cares how it sounds?'"

OK. But how do you introduce yourself to people?

"Steven Law-rence," he replied. "But people say LO-rentz all the time. I don't flinch."

Another thing to clear up: The Waterloo native is not the grandson of former Blues, Rangers and Sabres centre Jim Lorentz.

"I think that's my grandfather's cousin," Steven says. "If I ever met him, I was too young to remember."

Opening Night lineup? We have a guess

Here's our best guess at how the Maple Leafs dress Wednesday at Bell Centre:

Knies – Matthews – Marner

Domi – Tavares – Nylander

Pacioretty – Holmberg – Robertson

Lorentz – Kämpf – Reaves

Rielly – Tanev

Ekman-Larsson – McCabe

Benoit – Timmins

Woll starts

Stolarz

By our estimate, this means Liljegren and Bobby McMann are on the outside, and Calle Järnkrok is given time to rest his nagging injury.

"There's decisions to be made still, for sure," Berube says.

One-Timers: McCabe (undisclosed) and Järnkrok (lower body) remain day-to-day with injuries, though there's optimism McCabe will be ready for Game 1 ... Great energy on the Leafs' bench for Chris Tanev's PK work. Can't recall the team ever dressing a shot blocker so willing ... Berube, who used to fight Max Domi's dad, laughingly admits he has mistakenly called the player "Tie" to Max's face ... Matthews' pre-season: two games, two goals. Berube is also deploying the captain in a regular penalty-killing role. The coach is placing a premium on PK faceoffs ... Alex Steeves cleared waivers Saturday. Who’s next to hit the wire?