Elliotte Friedman believes Maple Leafs might "try and flip" newly acquired defenseman Matt Benning

The Toronto Maple Leafs recently swung a trade, sending defenseman Timothy Liljegren to the San Jose Sharks and in return received defenseman Matt Benning, a 2025 third-round draft selection, and a 2026 sixth-round pick.

There are rumblings that Benning could already be on the move from Toronto after just arriving in town. Don't be surprised to see it happen, according to a pair of noted NHL insiders.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet and Darren Dreger of TSN were together on Friday's edition of 'Insider Trading', and speculated that the Leafs could already be preparing to move on from Benning.

"It has more to do with roster space than it has to do with the cap issues that the Toronto Maple Leafs seem to tangle with on a day-in and day-out basis, annually speaking," said Dreger. "It was a fresh start for Timothy Liljegren, right? He wasn't fitting the eye of head coach Craig Berube, so he gets a fresh start with the San Jose Sharks. The Toronto Maple Leafs get a couple draft picks, which they need, Matt Benning, a veteran defenseman, who Treliving could also flip and add an additional asset."

Friedman seemed supportive of Dreger's last view, saying that a move by Leafs general manager Brad Treliving seemed plausible.

"I think it is very possible that the Leafs will try and flip (Matt) Benning," Friedman said.

Meanwhile, the Leafs did move on from Liljegren after multiple trade rumors included his name in them leading up to this season.

Matt Benning is approaching 500 NHL games played

A native of St. Albert, Alberta, Benning was selected by the Boston Bruins with the 175th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft. However, he never suited up for the team and instead later signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers.

He played the first four years of his career with the organization, which included time with the American Hockey League affiliate Bakersfield Condors.

After not being retained by the Oilers, he signed a two-year deal with the Nashville Predators, where he played before signing a four-year deal with the Sharks in 2022.

He's appeared in 464 career NHL games, registering 17 goals with 85 assists, a -21 rating, and 239 penalty minutes. He's also played in 24 career postseason games, registering five assists.

Whether or not he fits into the long-term plans of the Maple Leafs remains to be seen, but based on the speculation of Friedman and Dreger, it wouldn't be surprising to see another move.