Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Timothy Liljegren to the San Jose Sharks
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Timothy Liljegren experiment is officially over as the Maple Leafs have traded the defenseman to the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday.
With a lot of speculation regarding the future of Timothy Liljegren as a Toronto Maple Leaf after continually finding himself out of the lineup and out of favor with his coaches. He only played in one game this season but didn't do anything and it was clear the writing was on the wall for the former first-round pick.
Well, Toronto cleared all things up on Wednesday by trading Liljegren to the San Jose Sharks for a package including a 2025 3rd Rounder, a 2026 6th Rounder, and defenseman Matt Benning. It finally ends the drama that has surrounded both the Maple Leafs and Liljegren since he's been with the club. Having shown some life with the team, clearly it was not meant to be and it will be up to Liljegren to prove he belongs but this time in San Jose.
Since being drafted 17th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Liljegren has been serviceable but nothing special, and certainly didn't turn into the booming offensive defenseman they envisioned. He was a defensive liability at times but was still a solid contributor when he did play. Something didn't click with either his former coach Sheldon Keefe and now former coach Craig Berube, and with Toronto needing to dump salary quickly; there was no point keeping a player in the press box paying him $3M.
Coming back to Toronto is Matt Benning, a 6'1, 203-pound defenseman originally drafted by the Boston Bruins in 2012 who has had a solid NHL career. Signing with the Edmonton Oilers after refusing to sign with Boston, he stayed there for four seasons before heading to Nashville and then San Jose before the trade. He will line up with Toronto's Simon Benoit or Conor Timmins and provide Toronto with a solid bottom-pairing defender on the cheap (2 years left at $1.25M).
Toronto also recoups some draft assets they desperately needed as they've traded several of their top picks for players that either didn't turn out, or management didn't find a place for.
It will be exciting to see how both Toronto and San Jose utilize their new players, as it feels like Liljegren will be showcased in San Jose and given all the time in the world; meanwhile the Leafs shore up their inconsistent D-line with Benning.
More details to follow as we learn more information.
