Sharks acquire Timothy Liljegren from Maple Leafs for Matt Benning, two draft picks
On Wednesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs traded defenseman Timothy Liljegren to the San Jose Sharks. In return, the Maple Leafs received defenseman Matt Benning, a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and a sixth-round pick in 2026.
TRADE: We’ve traded Timothy Liljegren to San Jose in exchange for a third-round draft pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, San Jose’s own sixth-round selection in 2026, and defenceman Matt Benning pic.twitter.com/ZazfyayMyq
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 30, 2024The exact position of the 2025 pick will be determined later. In previous trades, the Sharks acquired the third-round selections from the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche. The Leafs will receive whichever of the two picks is higher. The 2026 sixth-round pick belonged to San Jose.
It has been an inauspicious start to the 2024-25 season for Liljegren. The Swedish blueliner signed a two-year contract extension in July, with an AAV of $3 million through the 2025-26 campaign. However, Liljegren has been a healthy scratch for he majority of the season thus far. He has appeared in just one game, coming in Toronto’s 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 16.
It comes after Liljegren had one of his best offensive seasons. Though he missed some time due to injuries, the 25-year-old scored three goals and 20 assists for 23 points in 55 games, averaging a career-high 19:40 of ice time.
Liljegren had high expectations to become one of the top blueliners with the Maple Leafs after being taken by the team in the first round, 17th overall, in the 2017 draft. He has shown glimpses of meeting his potential but has been unable to put it all together. In 197 games, Liljegren has scored 14 goals and 51 assists for 65 points, with one assist coming in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff appearances.
Benning has appeared in seven of the Sharks’ first 11 games this season, playing on Tuesday night against the Kings. The 30-year-old has yet to notch a point, registering a plus/minus of -5.
Benning only appeared in 14 games last season, as he underwent season-ending hip surgery in January. He was starting his third season in San Jose after signing with the team as a free against in July 2022. He still has one more year on his four-year contract with a cap hit of $1.25 million.
In 464 NHL appearances, which included stops with the Oilers and Nashville Predators, the Edmonton native has scored 17 goals and 85 assists for 102 points. He has played in 24 playoff games, posting five assists.