Who is newest Toronto Maple Leafs acquisition Matt Benning?
The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired defenseman Matt Benning, a 3rd round draft pick (2025), and a 6th round draft pick (2026) from the San Jose Sharks for defenseman Timothy Liljegren.
The Toronto Maple Leafs did not use Liljegren under new head coach Craig Berube. He only appeared in one game this season and was a healthy scratch for the rest. Hopefully, he will find success playing with the Sharks.
Benning is the only player acquired by the Leafs from the Timothy Liljegren trade on October 30th. The return is less than some fans expected, but the Leafs missed out on maximizing Liljegren’s trade value by not playing him more this season. The trade was supposedly necessary because Jani Hakanpaa and Connor Dewar are close to returning from the long-term injured reserve (LTIR).
The 3rd-round draft pick acquired by the Leafs will be the earlier of San Jose’s two picks, which previously belonged to the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche. Before the Leafs made this trade, they had no 1st, 3rd, or 4th-round picks in the 2025 draft. I doubt they keep it for themselves. Leafs general manager Brad Treliving will likely use it as a trade chip before or at the NHL trade deadline to upgrade the team before the playoffs.
What does Matt Benning bring to the Toronto Maple Leafs?
In Benning, the Leafs are getting a 30-year-old right-shooting defenseman who is 6'1, 203 pounds. He is a defensive defenseman who hits and blocks shots. Benning is making $1.25 million, while Liljegren is making $3 million, so the Leafs are saving $1.75 million in cap space until 2026, which they needed to do. (Salary cap information from puckpedia.com)
Benning might get some playing time with the Leafs until Hakanpaa officially comes off LTIR, but I think the Leafs will bury him down in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies, if they can' t trade him right away, as many people are predicting they will.
What they do with Benning will depend on whether Berube likes him over Conor Timmins or Simon Benoit. He won't be an everyday defenseman for the Leafs but can slide in at any time and play a physical, defensive-minded game. Benning has zero points, nine hits, and ten blocked shots in seven games this season. (Stats from hockey-reference.com)
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For those who don't know, Benning's family has ties to the Maple Leafs organization. Benning's uncle Jim Benning spent parts of six seasons playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs (1981-82 to 1986) before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks. Jim Benning went on to become the GM of the Canucks in 2014 and worked as the GM and later President until 2021.