Examining Potential Trade Strategies Involving Matt Benning and the Maple Leafs
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs searched for trade opportunities for Timothy Liljegren during the offseason, but there was not much interest from other teams in the league. Since the San Jose Sharks were the lone team to take action and Toronto had to act, the Leafs decided to acquire defenseman Matt Benning’s contract.
He’s a solid addition to the team and the Leafs are happy to have him, but it seems like they already have trade ideas in place for the experienced defenseman.
LeBrun stated that the Maple Leafs looked into almost every NHL team before finalizing an agreement with the Sharks. “I know a lot of people who look at this deal and say ‘Really, that’s it?’ The continuous attempt to transfer Liljegren did not come about recently – it had been in progress prior to training camp. Including Benning and his contract in the agreement was a stipulation.
Although the Leafs signed Liljegren to a two-year deal in the summer to increase its trade value, potential trade partners responded with little enthusiasm, with only San Jose showing serious interest.
Drawing on insights from Elliotte Friedman’s recent 32 Thoughts column and in light of the Colorado Avalanche facing a series of injuries to important forwards, Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now suggests that Toronto Maple Leafs’ forward Nick Robertson may be a trade option to consider.
The Avs faced another obstacle in a 5-2 defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning, missing six of their top 10 forwards like Gabriel Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, and Ross Colton.
Within his 32 Thoughts article, Friedman verified that Colorado is actively seeking additional offensive support. He stated, “You will not be surprised to hear Colorado is looking for forwards. [They] need to get through a miserable stretch where five of their top nine are out.”
Robertson, a winger who is 23 years old and has a cap hit of $875,000, could be a perfect temporary fix for Colorado. He has displayed offensive potential at times but has had difficulty establishing a steady position with the Leafs under head coach Craig Berube. Robertson wanted to start fresh somewhere else this summer and, despite agreeing to a one-year deal, his ice time and production haven’t improved much.
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