Quoting: Leafs09
What bothers me on , is everyone on here thinks lets put Sandin and Lily together, that will solve it, and they are going to be great,
There is a reason why Lily has not stepped in. Both are too Small and not developed enough yet to be in that position. I think they will be good, but why rush these kids?
NHL is a pretty big jump in level of play from the AHL.
First of all, definitely not "everyone" feels that Sandin and Liljegren should play together, let alone that Liljegren should even be in the lineup. At least call it like it is. My point is you have 2 big-game defenders out. You have Travis Dermott now being relied upon for more and bigger minutes, and although the Leafs won last night, Travis did not have a good game. All season, defensively, Barrie has been a bit of a question mark. Marincin is just pure awful. Holl is hit or miss without Muzzin on his left. And Ceci, unfortunately, is what he is. So, the Leafs are treading water on their back end trying to shore up some holes temporarily. What do you do? Well, Dubas could make a trade, but between the inflexible cap situation the Leafs are in, and Dubas being Dubas, I doubt that happens until after the all-star break. So, the only other alternative is a call up. Who has played well on D for the Marlies? If you've paid attention to the baby Leafs/watched any of their games, you would know that their 2 best defenders were Sandin and Liljegren. So, do you give them a shot as a reward for some great play, or do you keep them down there to further "develop". If you believe in the sport philosophy of rewarding good play, then I don't think the Leafs, or rather, Dubas, have much of a choice. Especially with how he played at the World Juniors, I fully expect 19-year old Sandin to stick with the Leafs for the rest of the season, unless he gives them a reason not to be recalled. If last night's game is any indication, Sandin was probably the Leaf's best defender. At 5'11, he skates incredibly well, smooth, can clearly give you offense and can lay hits as well. Saying they are too small is a complete excuse for rewarding your prospects when the time calls for it. As for Liljegren, he's really stepped up his defensive game since starting in the AHL. I am actually, honestly, unsure why, he hasn't slotted into a game yet ahead of Martin Marincin. I have full confidence that whether they play as a pairing, or are split up but are both in the lineup, they will at least show flashes as to why this team is so high on them. They are young, yes, so expect mistakes, but it's for everyone's benefit to see what the Leafs have to work with because guess what? Next year, I expect both to be full-time Leafers.