The Sharks acquired Liljegren for a 2025 third-round pick, a 2026 sixth-round pick, and defenceman Matt Benning.

After the Toronto Maple Leafs traded Timothy Liljegren to the San Jose Sharks, he received a phone call from William Nylander.

The two Swedes have been together in the Maple Leafs organization since they were drafted. Nylander was picked in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft, and Liljegren was selected 17th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft.

"I mean I said it's sad but that's business and I'm going to miss him a lot," Nylander said on Thursday, 15 hours after the trade occurred. "But that's the way it goes and I mean it would be great for him there to get at ice time and play. I mean that's what everybody wants in the end, right?"

Liljegren had a difficult training camp with the Maple Leafs. And after that, got only one game in the lineup, playing alongside Simon Benoit on the team's bottom pair. He played 13:55 in Toronto's 6-2 win over the LA Kings and didn't stand out, good or bad.

Morgan Rielly, whom Liljegren has played with in parts throughout his time with the Maple Leafs, said the two talked during Toronto's pre-season about how it's not going the 25-year-old's way.

"I had a chance to talk to Timmy, obviously over the course of training camp in the season, and I think you just wish him the best, obviously," Rielly said on Thursday morning. 

"Didn't work out exactly the way that he wanted to this year, I suppose. But you wish him the best. He's a good player. He has good work ethic. I think he'll find his way."

Rielly added that there are "lots of things" he'll remember about Liljegren's time with the Maple Leafs. The defenseman played 197 games for Toronto, scoring 14 goals and 51 assists while averaging 17:27 of ice time.

"You get a chance to play with a guy for a while. I mean, you get to know him and we've had plenty of good times. And, again, he's a good player. He works hard, and I mean, he'll be just fine."

When the Maple Leafs drafted Liljegren, there was a lot of hope that he'd become the next cornerstone defenseman in their top four. That, ultimately, hasn't worked out, but it's a challenge for anyone who has those expectations surrounding them. 

"It takes time. And, you know, it's not easy. I mean, this kind of thing happens all the time. I mean, just because a player gets traded, that doesn't mean he's any less of a player than he was a year before," Rielly said. 

"Moving forward, it's just a new opportunity and a change of scenery and that's not a judgment on who Timmy is or anything like that. He's going to be a good player moving forward. He's going to work hard and he's going to be fine."

TSN's Pierre LeBrun on TSN's Early Insider Trading said on Thursday that Toronto spoke to almost every team in the offseason about finding a landing spot for Liljegren. 

The Maple Leafs even signed him to the two-year, $6 million deal, paying him a $2.4 million signing bonus on July 1, which "the Leafs thought would help with moving him in-season," LeBrun reported.

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"Even in-season, this was a pretty lukewarm market, unfortunately, for Liljegren. There just wasn't a lot of interest. San Jose truly the only team that was ready to act now. A couple other teams were talking about him internally, but the Sharks really the only team ready to make that deal...

"I know Liljegren — from talking to his agent — he's happy to get a new opportunity. He needed a fresh start. He'll get a job in San Jose on the rebuilding Sharks, that's for sure. I think everyone's happy with this deal."

Adding defensemen like Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson — all of whom are big, physical players — didn't help Liljegren's case entering training camp. It also didn't help that Conor Timmins impressed Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube during the pre-season.

For Berube, that was why it didn't work out: Other guys "outplayed" Liljegren.

"But he's got ability. He can skate, move a puck. I wish him all the best. I mean, it just didn't work out here. That's the best way I can put it."