In the wake of the Morgan Rielly suspension, the Leafs desperately needed the rest of their blue line to step up, and step up they did. T.J. Brodie and Timothy Liljegren in particular were excellent in Rielly's absence, so excellent that when Rielly returned, Sheldon Keefe opted to keep them together rather than put Brodie back on the right side with Rielly.
Of course, we all know that Leafs fans can't simply have nice things. As such, Liljegren was absent from today's practice. He did briefly come out of Saturday's game against Colorado before ultimately finishing the game. Sheldon Keefe did provide an update on his status following Monday's practice, confirming that he's day-to-day.
With Liljegren missing, the defensive pairings have been thrown in the blender once again. This could signal that the Leafs are expecting to be without Liljegren for the team's rematch against the Golden Knights tomorrow. Brodie has been paired with Jake McCabe, Rielly with Benoit and the returning Mark Giordano skated beside William Lagesson. Keefe confirmed that if Liljegren does play, it will be Giordano coming out.
