Confirmed with Link: Leafs Trade: Liljegren to San Jose for Matt Benning, 3rd and 6th

[Gallagbi]

He's going to San Jose. It won't matter. He will become literally nothing there, even more of a nothing than he was here.

Maybe. I mean you're known around here for your rock solid predictions, so who am I to take the wait and see approach?

 

[usernamezrhardtodo]

Are we going to say this for every bad defensemen we ever trade on the off chance they figure it out when they leave? lol at some point we have to move on from a player that isn't working.

Even Dubas tried to get rid of Lilly back when they traded for Muzzin. The Kings wanted Durzi....obviously they knew what they were doing. They just had to hope he would turn out ok in the end...he didn't.

There was an anonymous scout who called it about 5yrs ago when he said they should trade Lilly before everyone else realizes he is not going to be anything special....too bad we couldn't/wouldn't do it.

 

[usernamezrhardtodo]

I think it's a little bit of column A and a little bit of column B.

Wasn't as good as people thought and the Leafs being the absolute worst organization in the league at developing D. Dubas' knowledge of D is genuinely the worst of any GM I've ever seen.

Wait a sec there buddy...are you trying to say the guy that personally found Joey Duzcak and Mac Holliwell is not a genius? Shame...shame...shame on you pal.

 

[Evilhomer]

Maybe. I mean you're known around here for your rock solid predictions, so who am I to take the wait and see approach?

He's a 25 year old man. He wilts under pressure. They didn't just trade Cale Makar. It's the same fretting that people did after Rasmus Sandin was traded, and lo and behold it turns out no one cares about him anymore. Lili is just another guy. He'll probably score 35 points in San Jose and you wouldn't know him if you ran him over with your car. The NHL is filled with those guys. Heck, the Leafs got one of those guys back in this deal.

 

[TheTotalPackage]

It's quite possible he plays well in San Jose that it's a cheap price and the Leafs got lesser value.

But he wasn't going to amount to anything here. So to get a couple picks for a team that has been short on picks for a couple years now, I'd say is good value.

 

[banks]

I said already that I'd have been happy if we traded Liljegren to Utah for that 3rd rounder in place of Detroit and Mattaa.

3rd rounder +? Sounds great. Let's move on.

 

[mapleleaf979]

Liljegren might not play another 50 nhl games.

 

[Warden of the North]

Thrilled we didn't have to trade actual assets to move him.

Good luck in San Jose.

 

[conFABulator]

Even Dubas tried to get rid of Lilly back when they traded for Muzzin. The Kings wanted Durzi....obviously they knew what they were doing. They just had to hope he would turn out ok in the end...he didn't.

There was an anonymous scout who called it about 5yrs ago when he said they should trade Lilly before everyone else realizes he is not going to be anything special....too bad we couldn't/wouldn't do it.

I remember that and always wondered how an anonymous scout would know more than other scouts, especially after he declared his position publicly.

I don't buy this was poor asset management. Was Liljegren ever worth returning a first round pick? Sandin got a very late one, was Lily ever considered as good as Sandin? So, at best we get a second rounder? We got a third, likely a high one, and a sixth. We also got a body that could be something here but probably won't.
A high third and a sixth vs a second. That's not worth getting upset about, especially with us picking well in late rounds.

 

[Zonk]

Do we have $3M in cap space? Puckopedia seems to suggest that?

Cap space is not our problem. Roster spots are the problem. We have 23 active players with three more NHL players on LTIR. Without more trades, several current Leafs will have to go on waivers to activate Dewar and Hakinpaa (and Jarnkrok, when he is ready.)

 

[thewave]

This whole situation was handled incredibly stupidly. Pretty much offloaded him at his lowest value

100%

Now to see who is right. The crowd that said he had a bright future if developed right here in Toronto. I think he will do well and this will be an egg on our face moment.

Maybe he was wrecked early on. Keefe could not develop.

Good Luck lilgrin.

 

[Jojalu]

I mean they do have drafted Drew Doughty and have won 2 cups for themselves with this core. I find it absolutely disgusting how butt cheeks of an organization Leafs is. Can’t develop forwards, can’t develop defensemen and certainly can’t develop goalies. Absolute joke of an organization!

Can't develop forwards?

 

[GoonieFace]

100%

Now to see who is right. The crowd that said he had a bright future if developed right here in Toronto. I think he will do well and this will be an egg on our face moment.

Maybe he was wrecked early on. Keefe could not develop.

Good Luck lilgrin.

Sometimes it’s just not the right fit for players. Maybe he couldn’t handle the pressure of this market. Maybe being in obscurity on a bad team will help. Regardless, he sucked here and needed to be moved

 

[ULF_55]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1851766207516463611

Is that before he was the worst defenseman on the 2024 - 2025 Sharks?

 

[Gallagbi]

He's a 25 year old man. He wilts under pressure. They didn't just trade Cale Makar. It's the same fretting that people did after Rasmus Sandin was traded, and lo and behold it turns out no one cares about him anymore. Lili is just another guy. He'll probably score 35 points in San Jose and you wouldn't know him if you ran him over with your car. The NHL is filled with those guys. Heck, the Leafs got one of those guys back in this deal.

You're right, the Makar comparisons were a little much. Mind pointing out where I said anything close to that?

 

[Maple Leaf]

He's a 25 year old man. He wilts under pressure. They didn't just trade Cale Makar. It's the same fretting that people did after Rasmus Sandin was traded, and lo and behold it turns out no one cares about him anymore. Lili is just another guy. He'll probably score 35 points in San Jose and you wouldn't know him if you ran him over with your car. The NHL is filled with those guys. Heck, the Leafs got one of those guys back in this deal.

leafs prospects are overrated
minten and cowan too

 

[IPS]

He's a 25 year old man. He wilts under pressure. They didn't just trade Cale Makar. It's the same fretting that people did after Rasmus Sandin was traded, and lo and behold it turns out no one cares about him anymore. Lili is just another guy. He'll probably score 35 points in San Jose and you wouldn't know him if you ran him over with your car. The NHL is filled with those guys. Heck, the Leafs got one of those guys back in this deal.

Pretty accurate take Evilhomer.

 

[JEI]

Wish they would have given him a longer look here, but the coach didn't like him (GM didn't seem to either). Even if for nothing more than Hakanpaa isn't a pillar of health...but the cap is the cap too and they can't play a guy 3.5m to by a 7th.

Good move for San Jose to gamble on him. Good on Leafs for adding some chips I guess. I imagine that 3rd rounder will gone by June. Benning is fine for depth..probably goes down for more cap space (his extra year probably saves him a claim). Really pushing a lot of veterans down to the Marlies on D where they are already rotating out defenders.

Robertson to San Jose probably happens too at some point when Jarnkroks healthy.

 

[Zonk]

I imagine he was included for cap purposes and so the Leafs have an 8th or 9th defenseman that they can have in their pocket in case of emergency. He's a nothing.

The Sharks still have over $7 million in cap space, so it was not for cap purposes and the Leafs must have wanted Benning. When Hakanpaa is activated, the Leafs will have 9 defensemen; someone will have to go.

The easy solution is waivers, but the Leafs will have 5 RHD plus McCabe who is playing the right side. Since RHD are in high demand, there may be potential for a late round pick for guys like Myers or Benning.

 

[HogTown06]

I guess at some point you have to admit he won't be a player... At least here...

Wishing Liljgren the best of luck with the Sharks though.

Now let's get rid of Kampf please.

 

[Leafsfan74]

If he somehow ended up to be a Norris candidate in the future and he is with Florida or Boston, then the Leafs would be f***ed.

SJ is the perfect spot for him.

If he ever becomes a Norris Trophy candidate than SJ scouts deserve a raise.

 

[authentic]

This whole situation was handled incredibly stupidly. Pretty much offloaded him at his lowest value

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

[Zonk]

I remember that and always wondered how an anonymous scout would know more than other scouts, especially after he declared his position publicly.

I don't buy this was poor asset management. Was Liljegren ever worth returning a first round pick? Sandin got a very late one, was Lily ever considered as good as Sandin? So, at best we get a second rounder? We got a third, likely a high one, and a sixth. We also got a body that could be something here but probably won't.
A high third and a sixth vs a second. That's not worth getting upset about, especially with us picking well in late rounds.

Sam Pollock won 9 Stanley Cups. He knew something about building a winning hockey team. He said that a team may not always know what they are receiving in a trade, but they had better be absolutely certain they know what they are giving up.

I agree that Lilegren's value was likely higher a couple of years ago, but I understand why the Leafs were unwilling to give him up earlier, For me, the final nail in the coffin was his poor play in last year's playoffs.

 

[The Iceman]

We have the worst stable of RH defensemen in the league bar none and no prospects in the system that are RH and anywhere near being ready to help. Just being right-handed will insure he gets lot of opportunities.

And winning is not the real objective for our franchise right now anyway. Even with our prospect pool now being rated near the top of the league, Celebrini, Will Smith (who has yet to record his first NHL point and has been struggling), and Sam Dickinson are really our only elite level prospects. We need a couple more years of high lottery selections, Celebrini to get off injured reserve, and Smith to figure out the NHL game before we start to scrape ourselves off of the bottom of the league.

Lots of decent RHD in the stable. Serviceable at least.

Far far from worst in the league. And much better than last season.

 

[Evilhomer]

leafs prospects are overrated
minten and cowan too

It's not restricted to the Leafs. Every team's prospect pool is overrated. It's human nature. The future always looks exciting, until it becomes the present.