Maple Leafs scouts in attendance at rival game to scout trade option for Timothy Liljegren

Early in the month, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman from Sportsnet reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to trade defenceman Timothy Liljegren. Coming off a poor camp, Liljegren was not on the roster for opening night, and management has started to call around to find a potential landing spot for the young defenceman. It would appear his future with the Leafs is clouded after an underwhelming preseason so far.

The result has Liljegren tumbling down the Leafs' depth chart and now sitting as the seventh or arguably eighth defenceman on the roster. Names such as Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jake McCabe, Simon Benoit, Conor Timmins, and Jani Hakanpaa have all solidified spots in front of him. With that, his role on the team has become increasingly tenuous, with his place in the lineup certainly seeming more uncertain than ever.

Liljegren has spoken to the trade rumblings, and he sounds somewhat disgruntled at the situation. One can tell he isn't too thrilled with the direction of the team, nor is he all too thrilled with how things are going regarding his play. His public comments have suggested a bit of a growing rift between himself and Leaf's management, adding fuel to speculation of his departure.

GM Brad Treliving has all but confirmed the teams' intentions to move Liljegren, and scouts have been spotted actively in search of a trade partner. Curiously, it was reported that Leafs scouts were present in Montreal to watch a game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Los Angeles Kings. That does raise some speculation about whether the Canadiens might be a fit for trade despite the rivalry between the two franchises. That's not the only game scouts are going to be at, as it is expected they will continue attending games of some rival teams over the coming days until the right dance partner for a trade is found.

Of course, it would be an interesting turn of events if the Leafs were considering all options and Timothy Liljegren's future were in question, but a trade between Toronto and Montreal would be something. Whether this rumored scouting trip leads to a deal remains to be seen, but adding the possibility of a move between two historic rivals adds an extra layer of intrigue to the ongoing trade rumors.