Benning has been a healthy scratch since being acquired by the Maple Leafs on October 30.
On October 30, the Toronto Maple Leafs traded defenseman Timothy Liljegren for Matt Benning, a 2025 third-round draft selection, and a 2026 sixth-round pick. Since then, the club has played in five games – with Benning being a healthy scratch in all contests – leaving his future with the Leafs uncertain.
The Leafs currently have a full 23-man roster and it’s no secret the team faces a roster crunch, hence his lack of usage in game action. One recent transaction was the placement of superstar forward Auston Matthews on injured reserve on Friday, with an upper-body injury.
Placed on LTIR earlier in the season, Connor Dewar was recalled and activated on Friday after his stint in the AHL where he tallied two points (1G, 1A) in one game with the Toronto Marlies. In addition, defenseman Jani Hakanpaa, also still on LTIR, is expected to return soon.
With that said, the Leafs need to create room to accommodate the injuries and maximize their value on the 23-man roster. On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff Live, Frank Seravalli reported Benning as a possible candidate to provide relief in that department and a solution to the 23-man roster dilemma.
“They’re at 23 men right now, and therein lies the problem. Cap-wise, the Leafs are totally fine. Roster-wise, they’ve got to unload two players to bring [Jani Hakanpaa and Connor Dewar] back onto the roster,” Seravalli explained. “The first and easiest way to do that would probably be to put Matt Benning on waivers. I think they’ve tried to find a taker for him, but the extra year on his deal has prevented that.”
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As mentioned, the Leafs have juggled multiple roster complications to start the 2024-25 season. The Leafs’ first potential move involves waiving Benning, who holds a $1.25 million cap hit through this season and next. According to Seravalli, Toronto has unsuccessfully sought a trade partner for Benning, with his additional contract year proving to be a sticking point.
Waiving Benning, however, would allow the Leafs to clear up space if no team claims him to help reduce its roster size with players like Dewar and Hakanpaa set to return soon. While the Leafs have cap space available, they need to create space on the roster itself, and Benning, as a healthy scratch since his acquisition, becomes a primary candidate.
Seravalli also cited forward Nick Robertson, whose trade has been discussed for quite some time but whom the Leafs would reportedly prefer to keep.
“Could they trade Nick Robertson? Yes, it remains a possibility. Teams have had interest, but the Leafs would prefer to not do that,” Seravalli said.
Additionally, defenseman Philippe Myers has only seen one NHL game this season, but Toronto views him as a valuable asset on the bottom pairing, citing his potential as a "quiet, stay-at-home" defenseman. Waiving Myers, however, could expose him to being claimed, an outcome Toronto wants to avoid.
“I’ll tell you one other thing that they wouldn’t like to do. You might look at their lineup and say, ‘Hey, well Philippe Myers, he’s only played one game this season. You could just put him on waivers.’ The Leafs really don’t want to do that. They think with his size that they’re on the cusp of figuring something out to be a quiet, stay-at-home defenceman and a cheap option for them in their bottom pair. They’re not ready to give up on him.”
With Matthews set to miss the weekend slate of games, including Saturday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, Treliving and Co., have time to decide. But given the circumstances, Benning seems to be the odd man out and the most obvious course of action to start.
The 30-year-old right-handed defenseman has 452 NHL games of experience.