Toronto Maple Leafs May Trade Matt Benning to Fix Roster Problems

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Chris Gerics
October 31, 2024 (9:51 PM)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Matt Benning in the Timothy Liljegren trade, but he may not stick around long as Toronto could look to flip him for other assets.

Toronto's acquisition of Matt Benning ends the tenure of Timothy Liljegren, who has been one of the longest-tenured defenders for the Maple Leafs although he never got the playing time. Unable to earn either of his former coaches' trust, Liljegren was often a healthy scratch but is eager to prove he is more than a serviceable defender.

Benning isn't anything special although he's a true defenseman through and through. He ends up disrupting people in front of the net and doesn't ever look out of place. Also a solid skater, he's a great stop-gap method while Toronto waits out Jani Hakanpaa, and he's cheaper too. Though, according to reports he may not be around too long.

Per Darren Dreger, speaking on TSN's Insider Trading, Benning could be used by GM Brad Treliving to further recoup some assets:

"It has more to do with roster space than it has to do with the cap issues that the Toronto Maple Leafs seem to tangle with on a day-in and day-out basis, annually speaking. I would expect Brad Treliving is either going to have to place another player on waivers," Dreger said.

Dreger also touched on what Toronto's next moves should be given their roster is pretty much set in stone, and need to work on moving some pieces so everyone fits:

"Perhaps there's a conditioning stint in the American Hockey League that can be applied. Or, the idea of a trade, because Toronto right now is locked in with its 23-man roster.

"But beyond that, it was a fresh start for Timothy Liljegren, right. He wasn't fitting the eye of head coach Craig Berube, so he gets a fresh start with the San Jose Sharks. The Toronto Maple Leafs get a couple draft picks, which they need, Matt Benning, a veteran defenseman, who Treliving could also flip and add an additional asset."

Assets that Treliving would be looking for include better draft picks, cap relief, a prospect, or some combination of the three. Benning is a cheap bottom-pairing defenseman at $1.25M for the next two seasons and would provide a veteran presence for a team needing some defensive help (Utah HC, anyone?). Toronto is in a cap crunch and every penny helps, and if he's able to swing a low to mid tier prospect in the deal, it could pay off big for the Maple Leafs.

It's an intriguing situation as Benning offers the Maple Leafs both stability on their backend but also freedom when it comes to cap space if he were to be shipped off. Either way, Benning will have something to prove one way or another.