The San Jose Sharks announced today that the club has acquired defenseman Timothy Liljegren from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for defenseman Matt Benning, a 2025 conditional third-round selection, and San Jose’s 2026 sixth-round selection. Toronto will receive the better (earlier) third-round selection that San Jose currently owns.
🔁 TRADE ALERT
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) October 30, 2024
The #SJSharks have acquired Timothy Liljegren from the Maple Leafs.
Liljegren, 25, has appeared in one game thus far in the 2024-25 season. Last season, he set a single-season best in assists (20) and average time-on-ice (19:40) and tied a career-high in points (23) with the Maple Leafs. He finished fourth on the team in blocked shots (116), and ranked eighth in power-play time-on-ice (92:34). Throughout his NHL career, he has appeared in 197 NHL games, all with Toronto, and registered 65 points (14 goals, 51 assists) with a plus-38 rating.
Professionally, Liljegren has also appeared with Toronto’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, over parts of four seasons, recording 74 points (11 goals, 63 assists) in 150 AHL games. He helped the Marlies win the Calder Cup in 2018 after recording four assists in 20 postseason games.
Benning, who has no points in seven games this season, comes from a family of NHL defensemen. His father, Brian, played for five teams, including the Oilers, and his uncle is former Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning, who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Canucks. His best season came with the Sharks during the 2022-23 season, when he posted 24 points in 77 games.
