The Sharks are making a move to bring in a former top-20 draft pick for a fresh start.
San Jose acquired defenseman Tomas Liljegren from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday in exchange for defenseman Matt Benning and a pair of draft picks.
Liljegren, a 25-year-old Swede, was the No. 17 overall pick in the 2017 draft but has struggled to live up to those expectations under the pressure of hockey’s brightest lights.
He has 65 career points (14 goals) over 197 games with the Maple Leafs since making his NHL debut in 2019. He played most of the last three seasons primarily in the NHL, including much of last year as a top-four defenseman, and is a career plus-38 on the ice. Despite signing him to a two-year, $6 million deal this summer as a restricted free agent, the Leafs played him in only one of its first 10 games this season under new head coach Craig Berube after adding to their defensive mix in free agency.
The picks headed to Toronto in the deal along with the 30-year-old Benning are a 2025 third-rounder and a 2026 sixth-rounder. The third-round pick will be the best of the two the Sharks own, either Colorado’s or Edmonton’s. They traded their own third-rounder to Vegas in the Tomas Hertl deal.
Benning arrived in San Jose on a four-year, $5 million deal as a free agent in 2022 but missed much of last year with a lower-body injury, eventually undergoing season-ending hip surgery. He had one goal and 25 assists over 98 games with the Sharks and was a minus-28 on a struggling team.
The Sharks have struggled defensively in the early season, allowing 4.00 goals per game, tied for third-worst in the NHL, though they did break their season-opening nine-game losing streak this week with back-to-back wins over Utah and the Kings.
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