Maple Leafs assign Adam Brooks, Timothy Liljegren to AHL
It appears as if two members of the Toronto Maple Leafs will not be allowed to enjoy the upcoming bye week.
Roughly one hour after the final whistle blew to solidify their dismal 6-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night, the Maple Leafs announced that they have assigned forward Adam Brooks and defenceman Timothy Liljegren to the Toronto Marlies.
The @MapleLeafs have loaned forward Adam Brooks and defenceman Timothy Liljegren to the @TorontoMarlies (AHL). #LeafsForever
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) January 19, 2020
Not to worry, though. This demotion is likely temporary, pending any returns from injury.
Both Brooks and Liljegren are prospects, the kind which need to refine their skills through constant doses of tangible game action. Why let them take an entire week off when both players could simply head back down to the Marlies and continue their development there? It’s not as if they have to travel far to do so.
Not to mention, the pair of rookies are expected to slot right back into the roles they held prior to their respective call ups. In Brooks’ case, he was blossoming into the Marlies’ No.1 centre while logging heavy minutes on both the power play and penalty kill, while Liljegren was leading the team in scoring and shutting down opposing top lines on a nightly basis.
A return to featured duty is likely to do them some good.
The Marlies are set to play a total of four games between now and the Leafs’ next contest on January 27th. If Jake Muzzin and Trevor Moore still haven’t recovered from their respective ailments, there’s a good chance you’ll see Liljegren and Brooks back up on the big club in time to face Nashville.
More Leafs coverage at Yahoo Sports
