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BREAKING: Sharks Acquire Liljegren for Benning, Picks

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Credit: NHL

The San Jose Sharks have traded for a puck-moving defenseman.



The Sharks have acquired Timothy Liljegren from the Toronto Maple Leafs for Matt Benning, a 2025 third-round pick, and a 2026 sixth-round pick. Toronto will get the better of the two third-round selections, Edmonton Oilers or Colorado Avalanche, that San Jose currently owns.

Liljegren, 25, was a 2017 first-round pick, who’s developed into a capable puck-mover. The 6-foot-1 right-hander had a career-high 23 points in just 55 games last year and averaged a career-high 19:40 a night for the playoff-bound Leafs.

Liljegren, however, couldn’t break into Toronto’s line-up this year, playing just one game. He’s been, otherwise, a healthy scratch for new head coach Craig Berube.

Liljegren, in the first year of a two-year extension ($3 million AAV) signed over the summer, looks like he needed a change of scenery.

He should get that in San Jose, where there’s been a need for an additional NHL-caliber puck-mover all season.

Matt Benning, 30, is in the third season of a four-year contract ($1.25 million AAV), signed in the summer of 2022.

He’s a solid two-way bottom-pairing defenseman when healthy, but he’s had an up-and-down comeback this year from major hip surgery. Benning is also a popular, well-liked locker room presence.

At his best, Benning should be able to help the Leafs in their playoff drive, and at worst, Toronto gets some cap relief. Benning’s AAV can be buried almost entirely in the AHL.

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amon_amarth

Not a fan at first glance. Seeing as we got Walman to come with a second. Giving up a third + seems a bit much.

Pucktastic

Not sure I agree. Lillegren has a much bigger upside than Benning who btw was a healthy scratch the other day.

SJShorky

Not a great assessment. Walman deal was a dumb deal for Yzerman widely panned. No way should he have given up an asset to move Walman who played top pair minutes a ton with Detroit.

as far as this deal? The guys 25 years old with less than 200 games and played 20 min a night last season for a great regular season team. He could easily develop into a very good top 4 RD which the Sharks lack. Sharks gave up a bunch of spare parts for a 1st round talent. Great deal IMO.

Last edited 9 days ago by SJShorky
amon_amarth

Don’t get me wrong I get the argument. But as someone said below Toronto had to move on from someone, and who they were playing over him speaks volumes to his value to their team. I actually like GMMG going against the character/grit type he has and searching to replace a need we have as a team (puck moving D). But I do worry he may fit in more like Duclair did last year, would love it if I’m wrong. And definitely not saying we gave up a haul, just pointing to the recent trade for an established D in… Read more »

SJShorky

The Walman trade didn’t set a precedent.

Nimrod

The defense just got a little better 😀
I’m thinking the pairing for he next little bit may be:

(Walman – Ruta)
(Ferraro – Liljegren)
(Thrun – Ceci)
(Thompson)

BryanMirkley6

Not sure Rutta should be in the top 6. I’d much rather see:
Walman – Liljegren
Mukh – Ceci
Ferraro – Thompson
Rutta

Thrun hasn’t shown enough with ample opportunity this year or last, so I’d send him the cuda to work on his puck moving, or trade him due 4th/5th rounder.

GMMG essentially traded emberson, Benning and a 6th rounder for Liljegren and Ceci. Ceci probably gets dealt for something like a 2nd rounder at the deadline. Love what he’s doing for the defense, especially with Cagnoni lighting up the AHL.

Last edited 9 days ago by BryanMirkley6
SJShorky

I would keep Walman & Ceci together. Closest they have to a real top pair. Also too much pressure for the new guy. Let him earn top pair minutes.

no way would I trade Thrun yet. Maybe once Dickinson makes the NHL but he’s a good stop gap at the worst. AHL time isn’t a terrible idea though. He’s a lefty though and the new guy is a RD. Ceci, Rutta, Thompson are the remaining RDs. Ideally Rutta gets traded soon too.

Last edited 9 days ago by SJShorky
BryanMirkley6

Walman and Ceci together is fine – I like Ceci as a stay at home mentor for Mukh, but just a difference of opinion. I’m aware of the handedness of all the sharks defenseman, which is why I suggested left-right pairs. Once Mukh is healthy/ready, I don’t know how Thrun cracks the lineup with Walman and Ferraro ahead of him on the depth chart as well. I know some appreciate Thrun more, but I simply don’t see any areas of his game that are above average (foot speed, puck moving, decision making are below average, and physicality, shot, and positioning… Read more »

SJShorky

I apologize. Didn’t even notice you put Shakir in your lineup. I love your pairs.

As far as THrun, you’re writing him off too soon. He’s going to play a long time as a 3rd pair IMO. His value won’t be zero at the end of this season. That’s simply premature.

Last edited 9 days ago by SJShorky
SJShorky

Maybe sit Rutta?

Falco5

Seems fine, although it sounds like he’s a slightly better addison?

SJShorky

Addisons in the AHL. This guy played big minutes last season for a high end playoff team.

Falco5

This guy is also not playing for a team that is thin on defense.

SJShorky

huh? Which team are you saying is thin on D? TO has 3 or 4 guys ahead of him even last season. Liljen is the best offensive RD on the roster immediately. Had 23 points in only 55 games last season. That’s 34 points in 82 without PP1 time which he’ll see in SJ. You comparing him to Addison shows a real lack of appreciation for how much better this guy is.

Falco5

He was not playing on toronto. They have injuries and are currently starting ahl guys over him.

BurnsiesBeard

Last season he did, which is what shorky had said. This year they’ve gone a different direction, yes.

SJShorky

he was not playing this season under a new coach. Played a shit ton last season. Berube has a “type”. Lilgren is an immediate upgrade and will help this team counter attack and exit the zone much better than every other RD on the team and all the LD except Shak & maybe Walman.

even if he’s a band aid for a couple years it’ll help with the team’s immediate competitiveness offensively and he’s light years better than Addison. Pushing Rutta to 3rd pair or the stands is a win in my book.

Last edited 9 days ago by SJShorky
SJShorky

I like the move but do feel bad for Benning. He’s not likely to play much once their blue line is healthy and it sounds like he was a great locker room guy, calling and welcoming all the new players etc… Hopefully this doesn’t hit the team chemistry that’s developing too hard.

Alaskan_ice

MGGM is thieving again. A right shot, puck moving 6’1” 24 year old. Sounds exciting!

James R

At face value, this seems like a strong move for a 24 year old with upside. His 21 points last season would have tied Ferraro for tops among Sharks d-men. Yes, it was on a much better Leafs team. But it was also in only 55 games. Benning was a solid player two seasons ago but, post injury, wasn’t looking like an everyday player. A good roll of the dice by Grier.

SJShorky

23 🙂

James R

You’re right! And 23 points would have lead all Sharks d-men last season.

Patrick

Love this move. When I saw the recent news that the Leafs might trade him (32 Thoughts a couple weeks ago) I started pining for him but didn’t think the Sharks would be able to swing it. Getting him for Benning, who frankly doesn’t seem to be the same player he was prior to his hip injury (at least not yet) and a couple of low round picks is a
steal. As Sheng always says, you can replace your 3rd round picks fairly easily.

Last edited 9 days ago by Patrick
Zeke

Don’t have a strong opinion on this move. It is low risk with, hopefully, sufficient upside. Wish the Sharks were the team getting a pick in return, given they solved a meaningful cap problem the Leafs have. I’ll note Benning was one of the first signings Grier made. Some wondered at the time why he’d give out a 4 year deal to a lower end d-man. I thought it made a lot of sense because it was a very tradable contract. Benning outplayed his contract prior to injury. At this point, I can’t say i which is the better player.… Read more »

SJShorky

Not sure you can compare Benning & Lilgren. Apples and oranges. One is a defense only 3rd pair, the other is much younger puck mover who played top 4 on a high end playoff team.

Patrick

The word was that there were multiple teams in on Liljegren and he fit a need for the Sharks so I’m 100% fine with them using a 3rd (which they had an abundance of) to get this across the finish line.

Zeke

Link to a very recent article, just hours before the trade https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/its-a-battle-mentally-to-stay-positive-with-trade-reports-swirling-timothy-liljegren-focuses-on-trying-to-get-back-into-the-lineup The d-men Toronto didn’t move were Simon Benoit and Connor Timmins, both paid just bit over $1mil. Article mentions Jani Hakanpaa about to leave LTIR. Toronto NEEDED to move a d-man and clearly he was the guy. GMMG just solved two Leafs problems, gave them cap space AND avoided having too many healthy d-men whose salaries can’t be buried in the AHL. Woulda been nice if he got something in return … like a draft pick. Also, fwiw, agree Benning has not been the guy prior to the… Read more »

Last edited 9 days ago by Zeke
Joseph

Not sure I agree with that assessment. The Sharks did get something back – a young, right handed defenseman who can play in their top four. Guys like that typically don’t come with a sweetener. The Sharks also included money and a contract headed back the other way. I’m sure Toronto would have rather gotten this done without having to take back a veteran NHLer. Toronto can use this move to get $3M in cap relief, but the Sharks only provided them with $1.75M of that relief. Not sure you’re going to get some complex clause into a deal for… Read more »

SJShorky

He was not a cap dump. Quit acting like he was. He’s still a relatively young RD (highly valued position) with good results in the top 4 of a playoff team. They weren’t giving him away for free and you’re still over valuing the cap space. They could have sent someone to the AHL and waited out this trade. There was most likely a minor bidding war which GMMG won to solve a very obvious problem which will help this roster compete better night in and night out which will also help moral. Even if it’s a temporary bandaid for… Read more »

Last edited 9 days ago by SJShorky
Patrick

100% agree with SJShorky. Liljegren was a first round pick who has demonstrated he can play top 4 minutes in the league. He also fits a need of the Sharks. Just because the trade eased some of Toronto’s pain doesn’t mean we could/should have gotten more. The word was there were other teams in on him. Sharks didn’t give up any meaningful assets and got a top-4, right shot, puck moving blue liner. What more could you ask for?

Nimrod

Good players can still be cap dumps. For those of us with a long memory see Christian Erhoff & Matt Carle.

From what I’ve read it sounds like Beube just wouldn’t give Liljegren a chance because of his perceived lack of physicality. This is a big win. Liljegren will probably get all the opportunity he’ll need to show Toronto they got fleeced. Another fantastic buy low move for GMMG.

SJShorky

Matt carle wasn’t good with the Sharks, if I remember correctly he didn’t blossom until paired with Pronger. I could have played in the NHL with Pronger as a partner.😜🤣🤣 ok not really but you get the point. Erhoff was a rare blunder by DW. Neither were precedenct setters. Both were coming off less than impressive seasons that tanked their values. This does not apply to Liljegren. Career year in games, minutes & points and is a career +38. yes I expect with the TOI and PP1 opportunities this kid will get the Sharks will at least get a 1st… Read more »

Last edited 9 days ago by SJShorky
James

Benning sucked. Saw him make so many errors on defense last year. He was terrible.

Joseph

Last year eh?

BryanMirkley6

His rehab was littered with apple turnovers!

SJShorky

🤣🤣🤣

Patrick

James was at his rehab sessions I guess.

SJShorky

🤣🤣🤣

SJShorky

🤣🤣🤣

SJShorky

Was this while you were asleep…?🤨 Benning was injured for all but like 12 games last season.

Jason

As a person who has been a suffering fan of the Maple Leafs for a while I can give you the inside scoop on Liljegren. He’s great offensively and I was hoping he would crack the line up this year. The issue is he’s so soft but even worse horrible at getting the puck out of the zone. Blind behind the back passes, turn overs and just nothing seemed to work for him. If you team can get him to play better defensively he will be great for you. It just seemed like he panicked in high pressure situations and… Read more »

mknepper

Love the move! This is EXACTLY what the D-Corps needed. He is a puck moving defensemen that excels at getting pucks out of the D-Zone. He plays top four minutes and can be paired with Ferraro who now can play a more defensive game. And he is a RD, where the Sharks needed to improve their depth. He is young and still has room to develop. He only takes an additional 1.5 mil of cap space (approximately) and has two years on his deal. I imagine he is motivated to play well and will be given minutes he has not… Read more »

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