Leafs’ Keefe unhappy with physical response after Liljegren-Marchand incident
By The Canadian Press on November 4, 2023.
Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Timothy Liljegren has been placed on long-term injured reserve with a high ankle sprain, the team announced Saturday. The 24-year-old was injured in the first period of Thursday’s 3-2 shootout loss in Boston after getting tripped by Bruins forward Brad Marchand and falling awkwardly into the boards. No penalty was called on the play. Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said he “hated everything about” his team’s lack of a physical response when asked about the incident Saturday morning ahead of a visit from the Buffalo Sabres. Toronto enforcer Ryan Reaves, who was brought in to add toughness to a roster that was pushed around at times during last spring’s second-round playoff loss to the Florida Panthers, said the issue had been addressed internally and would be “changed going forward.” The Leafs recalled defencemen Max Lajoie and Simon Benoit from the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies with Liljegren out for the foreseeable future. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2023. 8-7
