I think people are going to be pretty happy about Liljegren as long as they're not expecting Karlsson-level offense. He spent a lot of last season going through the Rielly Process*, literally focusing on defense, PK, top shutdown minutes. And since people aren't watching the games and just looking at the points, uh duh. Sandin is going to receive similar treatment this season.
* The Reilly Process was instituted by Babcock and the rest of the coaching staff for defenseman development, specifically at the top of the depth chart.
Year 1: cushy, offensive deployment to start and get confidence built up with success; layer on responsibility as the year progresses
Year 2: the other side of the game; no PP, only PK, shudown minutes stress test to see where this players aptitudes off the puck are
Year 3: put it back together, aiming for a two-way stalwart that is reliable in all phases of the game. Might start leaning into strengths and sheltering weaknesses more.