Liljegren delivers heartfelt message to Leafs nation after last night's trade

In case you missed it last night, the Toronto Maple Leafs traded defenseman Timothy Liljegren to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for veteran Matt Benning, a 3rd round pick and a 6th round pick.

Shortly after the trade Liljegren sent out a heartfelt message to Leafs fans:

“Thank you Toronto for making my dream of playing in the NHL true. I'll always hold Toronto close to my heart and loved every minute of my 7 years in the organization! Have met amazing people and have made friends that'll last a lifetime.”

Read below for our earlier report on the Liljegren trade, published by Hockey Feed staff reporter Chris Gosselin yesterday as events occurred.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded defenseman Timothy Liljegren to the San Jose Sharks in return for a 2025 third-rounder, 2026 sixth-rounder and Matt Benning.

The move was confirmed moments later by the Maple Leafs. 

It had been some time since Toronto had been trying to move Liljegren as he was making his way down the depth chart on the blue line. He only played one game this season, and failed to record a point. He has slid down the team’s depth chart becoming the 7th or even best 8th defenseman. Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jake McCabe, Simon Benoit, Conor Timmins and Jani Hakanpaa all hold down spots above him in the Leafs’ defensive rankings.

Drafted 17th overall by the Maple Leafs in 2017, Liljegren is still looking to find his footing in the NHL. He managed to earn a mostly full-time roster spot in 2021-22, recording five goals and 23 points in 61 games for Toronto. He followed that up with 18 points in 67 games in 2022-23 and put up 23 points in 55 contests last year.

He gets a fresh start in San Jose and puts an end to all the trade chatter.

In Benning, the Maple Leafs are acquiring a veteran defenseman, who signed a four-year, $5 million contract in 2022. He can definitely contribute as a depth piece for what Toronto hopes is a long playoff run.