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Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving made a move last night by moving right-handed defenseman Timothy Liljegren to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2025 conditional third-round pick, the Sharks’ sixth-round pick in 2026 and defenseman Matt Benning.
The move brings an end to Liljegren’s era in Toronto after he just signed a two-year extension, an average annual value of $3 million per season. The Maple Leafs save $1.75 million in the deal by taking on Benning’s $1.25 million contract. After having a disappointing preseason and barely getting any minutes to start the season, it was becoming clear that moving Liljegren would be beneficial for both sides.
Liljegren Fell Out of Maple Leafs Plans
There was a lot of promise when the Maple Leafs drafted Liljegren 17th overall back in 2017 to be a steady, puck-moving defender. However, he has yet to solidify his spot within the lineup as an impactful top-four defender, spending the majority of his time as a third pairing defenseman. This season alone, he wasn’t fitting into head coach Craig Berube’s plans, as he has only played in one game where he played 13:55 after putting up 23 points in 55 games last season.
Liljegren had plenty of opportunities before to take the next step but hasn’t really pushed the needle to move up in the lineup. His best opportunity came when defenseman Justin Holl left in 2023. Since then, he has been stapled as a third pairing defender and the Maple Leafs made moves to bring in established top-four defenders, like Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. After an unimpressive camp and barely getting any play time this season, it was only a matter of time before Liljegren was dealt in order to give him a fresh start. Even he was disappointed with how things went.
While he had a chance to solidify a roster spot, he was surpassed by other players on the depth chart, notably Connor Timmins and Philippe Myers who both stood out and brought a lot more to the table. It’s disappointing that this is how Liljegren’s tenure as a Maple Leaf came to an end given his potential, but other players had better camps and performances which made it difficult for him to crack the roster.
Decent Return Considering Situation
Considering that Liljegren barely had any play time during the season, this is a decent return for the Maple Leafs. There’s also the pending return of Connor Dewar and Jani Hakanpää as the Maple Leafs needed the cap space to make their return from injury work.
There was the potential that the return wouldn’t be as strong because of his lack of games played. To get a third-round pick, a sixth-round selection and a depth defenseman at a cheaper price and value is a great move by Treliving, especially after the Olli Matta trade earlier.
Acquiring draft picks is never a bad thing, especially now that Mark Leach is the director of amateur scouting for the Maple Leafs. The 2025 NHL Draft is shaping up to be another strong one. Like any draft there’s the potential of finding later round talent with those picks and the Maple Leafs have that chance as they didn’t have a pick in that round.
Benning is another right-shot defenseman, but he fits the bill as a depth option and player that can come in and out of the lineup. He has zero points in seven games this season, but his best one came back in 2022-23 where he had 23 assists and 24 points in 77 games. While he isn’t an offensive powerhouse on the backend, he’s very steady with his defensive play and he has been known to be a big hitter and shot blocker in the past.
Liljegren Has Chance To Move Forward
Given how this a good deal for the Maple Leafs, it’s also a good one for Liljegren as he has a chance to take a big step forward on a Sharks team that’s in a rebuild phase. He has a better opportunity to earn more games and minutes be a top-four defender there and could develop into something for them. Pressure on him may be even less given where he’s going as that could help with his confidence and overall play.