Liljegren Trade Reaction: Maple Leafs And Sharks Deal Is A Win-Win-Win
The Maple Leafs traded D-man Timothy Liljegren to the Sharks for two draft picks and blueliner Matt Benning. Adam Proteau says the deal makes sense for all involved.
The Toronto Maple Leafs ended their strained relationship with defenseman Timothy Liljegren on Wednesday in a nice deal for everyone.
They dealt the 25-year-old Swede to the San Jose Sharks in return for a 2025 third-round draft pick, a 2025 sixth-rounder, and veteran blueliner Matt Benning.
The deal makes sense not only as a win-win for the Maple Leafs and Sharks but for Liljegren in particular. A win-win-win, as it were.
Leafs GM Brad Treliving had his back against the wall regarding salary cap space with the eventual return of Leafs defenseman Jani Hakanpaa and center Connor Dewar, so Treliving had no choice but to clear out some cap space. That’s exactly what he did, shaving $1.75 million off his payroll by moving out Liljegren’s $3-million cap hit and bringing in Benning and his $1.25-million salary. On top of that, the Maple Leafs got not one but two draft picks for one asset who was a frequent healthy scratch this month. You can see why the Leafs said yes to this deal.
Meanwhile, the Sharks get a decent player with something to prove after getting squeezed out in Toronto.
Liljegren is only under contract for one more season after this one. If it doesn't work out, he's not tied to them for the long term. Getting him carries low risk and potentially solid reward for San Jose GM Mike Grier.
From a strictly individual perspective, Liljegren gets as good an opportunity as he was ever going to get in a market where he can develop away from the glare of the spotlight. He's still relatively young and can take advantage of the chance to impress in many situations on a rebuilding club, whether he's on the power play, penalty kill or on a top defense pair.
The other angle here is Benning’s. He’s played only limited minutes, averaging 13:02 of ice time in seven games this season, but Benning must be thrilled to join a team with Stanley Cup aspirations in the short term. He’s well down the depth chart on ‘D,’ but who knows – with injuries or underwhelming performances from other D-men, Benning could play a role of note for Toronto.
All things considered, the trade got done because all parties saw a benefit for them. The Leafs have as much depth as they did before the trade at a lower cost on the cap front. The Sharks bring in someone who, in a best-case scenario, becomes a long-term fit on the back end. And Liljegren gets a fresh start on a team that, like him, is still looking for its breakout.
Win-win-win. That’s the verdict on this swap. Time will tell whether that changes, but that’s a tidy piece of business as the first month of the new NHL season nears an end.
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