Toronto Maple Leafs fleeced Sharks in Timothy Liljegren trade

The Toronto Maple Leafs fleeced the San Jose Sharks in the Timothy Liljegren trade. Yes, you read that right.

According to insider Pierre LeBrun, there market for the Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman was “lukewarm.” The term is a euphemism meaning that no one was really interested. Ah, but there was one team looking to pull the trigger now: The San Jose Sharks.

Now, the Sharks have actually been quite savvy under Mike Greer. They’ve dumped a lot of useless contracts, signed key players to deals, and avoided taking on toxic contracts like the defunct Arizona Coyotes did.

But the Sharks missed the boat on this one. They overpaid the Leafs, especially when considering no one really wanted Liljegren. Per LeBrun, the Leafs spent months talking to everyone in the league, seeing who might be interested in taking Liljegren off their hands.

Again, the only team that showed any sort of significant interest was San Jose. LeBrun explained on TSN’s Early Trading that the Sharks had been looking for a right-handed blue liner all summer. The Sharks sort of missed the mark, so they pounced on Liljegren.

I suppose the Sharks really wanted Liljegren. Otherwise, why would they overpay?

Of course, the return was underwhelming. Matt Benning is a serviceable NHL defenceman. The two draft picks are essentially magic beans. But what the return for Liljegren signals is that the Leafs didn’t have any other deals on the table. At least, they weren’t deals that could beat the Sharks’ offer. And, judging from the Sharks’ offer, the other deals must have been even more underwhelming.

Matt Benning’s time with the Toronto Maple Leafs to be short-lived

LeBrun further explained his point of view regarding the fallout from the Liljegren trade. In particular, he focused on Matt Benning’s future in Toronto.

Mainly, Benning is a depth defenceman who could provide some potential support in case of injuries. Otherwise, it is highly unlikely he gets into the lineup.

Beyond that, it’s LeBrun’s belief that the Leafs will try to move Benning. It’s a possibility. Benning has a $1.25 million cap hit. That’s not bad. But there’s a key reason why the Leafs could move Benning sooner rather than later.

Jani Hakanpaa is apparently nearing a return to the ice. The Leafs announced that Hakanpaa has gone to the Toronto Marlies for a conditioning stint. That situation means that Hakanpaa could be close to hitting the ice within the next couple of weeks.

If that’s the case, the Leafs could send Benning down to the Marlies. Sending Benning down would only partially alleviate the cap hit. But still, the Leafs stand to save roughly 700k.

At the end of the day, the biggest piece the Leafs got for Liljegren was that third-round pick. The pick originally belonged to the Edmonton Oilers. So, with the Oilers having a down year, it could be that the Leafs might strike gold in the most roundabout way.