On Wednesday, San Jose acquired Timothy Liljegren from the Maple Leafs. What did GM Mike Grier and the Sharks get with the young defenceman? In the trade, San Jose acquired Liljegren while parting ways with Matt Benning, a conditional third and a sixth-rounder. The 25-year-old will get a big opportunity to develop his game and become an elite player with the Sharks. With all that said, let’s break down the trade and what it means for the Sharks this season and beyond.
Breaking Down the Timothy Liljegren Trade
As mentioned, Grier only parted ways with a mid-round pick and a late-round selection to acquire the young defenceman. Benning is 30-years-old and in his seven games this season, he struggled. He has yet to register a point in 2024-25 and didn’t play many minutes. Benning was not a piece that San Jose envisioned as a part of their defensive core moving forward. In terms of the draft selections, Grier has assembled what is considered by many to be the best prospect pool in the NHL. They have elite-level youngsters in every position, with many being close to playing with the big club. The key is finding other players to complement this elite talent. This trade follows a pattern that Grier has established in recent trades.
A Low-Risk, High-Reward Acquisition
Over the last seven months, the Sharks acquired Jack Thompson, Ty Dellandrea, Jake Walman, a couple of mid-round picks and now Liljegren. In these trades, San Jose surrendered Benning, Anthony Duclair, a conditional third-rounder and a fourth-rounder. While these trades don’t appear to be the flashiest in the league, they give the Sharks young players with high upside. Walman and Thompson have both played well in their time in Teal and figure to continue playing in the NHL. While Dellandrea hasn’t found his full form yet, he is a hard-nosed depth player who can still prove his worth. Timothy Liljegren is perhaps the most exciting of the bunch, and although, he fell out of favour with new Toronto bench boss Craig Berube, leading to the trade, he’s due for a big role. so let’s look at what Liljegren can do for the rest of this year.
The Opportunity to Fully Flourish
When he was drafted 17th overall in 2017, Liljegren was touted as a solid offensive defenceman. Though he never really put it together with the Maple Leafs, he showed that he can bring an offensive element in the AHL. 2019-20 was his best year with the Marlies. That year he registered 30 points in 40 games, generating excitement among Leafs Nation. Again, however, he never really put it together with the Leafs and fell out of Berube’s rotation. In San Jose, he will have a much larger runway to showcase his talent. Liljegren will play on the power play, though it’s still undetermined which unit.
The top group of Mikael Granlund, Tyler Toffoli, William Eklund, Fabian Zetterlund or Macklin Celebrini will provide a talented, experienced group to generate offence. At even strength, we don’t know who he’ll be paired with moving forward. Does head coach Ryan Warsofsky elect to play him with Walman? Or does he pair him with the young, defensively-minded Henry Thrun? In any scenario, Liljegren himself has to prove his worth in the NHL, as he failed to do up to this point. However he plays for the rest of this season will give the Sharks a clearer picture of Liljegren’s future with the club.
What Liljegren Has to Do to Earn a Long-Term Roster Spot
Let’s face it, the Sharks didn’t give up a top-end prospect or high draft pick in the trade for Timothy Liljegren. From a “return on investment” perspective, Liljegren doesn’t have to turn into the best defenceman in the league for the trade to be a success. That being said, he has to play well to give himself the confidence to continue his career in the NHL. If he proves to be a capable offensive defenceman who can elevate a power play and can be trusted in his zone, San Jose should be happy with that player. If that version of Liljegren doesn’t happen, then he may have a tough time finding himself on an NHL blueline in the future. For now, though, all he can control is how he plays and let the rest fall into place.
Main Photo Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
