One of the most controversial trades of Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving’s tenure was the Timothy Liljegren deal.
Last season, the Leafs’ former first-round selection had made a public spectacle of his trade request. Liljegren had fallen off Toronto’s depth chart despite multiple opportunities to stick with the club. Liljegren had even gotten an opportunity to flank Morgan Rielly on the team’s top pairing.
Alas, Liljegren didn’t make the cut for Craig Berube. The Maple Leafs suited Liljegren up for one game before sending him to the San Jose Sharks.
The Maple Leafs fleeced the Sharks. Toronto got two draft picks and veteran blueliner Matt Benning. Benning hasn’t seen much action with the Maple Leafs, but has been an excellent addition for the Marlies.
The Sharks, meanwhile, saw in Liljegren an opportunity to add a great player at a relatively low cost. It was a low-risk move that could have paid off in droves. Well, the risk didn’t really pay off for the Sharks.
Liljegren’s first season was all right. He appeared in 67 games, scoring six goals and 17 points. He saw nearly 20 minutes of ice time a night, featuring in the Sharks’ power play setup.
This season, however, the former Maple Leafs’ blueliner has taken a turn for the worse. In 37 games, he has no goals and six assists. His power play time has evaporated, seeing time on the penalty kill instead.
His relative Corsi has also fallen off the radar, going from a positive 2.2 to a negative 2.2.
That situation has landed Liljegren on the Sharks trade block. He will become a UFA this summer. That’s why the Sharks are looking to move him. But there haven’t been very many suitors thus far.
Maple Leafs Made Something Out of Nothing by Trading Liljegren
The Maple Leafs faced the possibility of placing Liljegren on waivers. Had they done so, the club would have lost Liljegren for nothing. Instead, the transformed Liljegren’s unhappiness into several useful pieces.
As mentioned earlier, Benning has been a solid AHL-level defenseman. In 16 games with the Marlies this season, Benning has scored two goals and 10 points. During a recent emergency, Benning saw action in one game with the Maple Leafs.
Then, there’s the situation involving the two draft picks. The first of which was a 2025 third-rounder. The Maple Leafs ended up receiving Colorado’s third-round selection based on the conditions set in the deal with the Sharks.
Toronto used the pick to select center Tyler Hopkins of the Kingston Frontenacs with the 86th overall pick. This season, Hopkins has scored 12 goals and 25 points in 29 games in the OHL. There’s a good chance Hopkins will head to the AHL Marlies next season, potentially competing for a full-time role.
The other pick is a 2026 sixth-round selection. The pick will likely be in the 170s. So, the Maple Leafs might not get an impactful player at that level. Then again, Pontus Holmberg was a sixth-round selection.
Leafs May Look to Sharks for Defensive Help this Season
The Maple Leafs could look to the Sharks for defensive help. San Jose has roughly five UFA defenseman believed to be on the block. The most notable name is Mario Ferraro. In addition, two former Leafs, Liljegren and John Klingberg, are on the block as well. Veterans Nick Leddy and Vincent Desharnais are also on the block.
In particular, Leddy and Desharnais could be interesting depth pieces for the Maple Leafs, depending on price. Rumors suggest that Toronto is looking to add a right-shot, puck-moving defenseman. That’s hardly the description of Leddy or Desharnais. But they could be decent, low-cost depth pieces moving forward.
Maple Leafs Were Right to Trade Liljegren in Hindsight