Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Matt Benning has been on the team for barely a week and his long-term future is already up in the air.
After participating in his first practice with the Leafs on Friday, Benning was asked about his uncertain future with his new team. He stressed that he won’t focus on the noise and instead shift his attention to what he can control which is how he does on the ice.
“I don’t really look into that. Whatever comes, comes,” he said via the Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan. “Got to make it hard on decision-making to keep me here. If I get an opportunity to get in and do well with it, that’s all I can control.”
After being acquired in a trade with the San Jose Sharks that saw Timothy Liljegren sent the other way on Wednesday, it did not take long for speculation to emerge that Benning would not be on the team for long. After all, the Leafs remain pressed up against the cap and are at the limit in terms of roster spaces even after clearing up Liljegren’s $3 million cap hit. The impending returns of Jani Hakanpaa and Connor Dewar, who were both sent down to the Marlies on a conditioning stint, will force Toronto to make a decision soon.
TSN’s Darren Dreger noted on Thursday’s edition of Insider Trading that this will have to result in another move soon, whether that be through placing someone on waivers or another trade. He later noted that Benning might be the candidate to be moved should they end up going the trade route.
“He has been in the league for a while. He is a stay-at-home defenceman. Steady. Blocks a lot of shots. That’s what he is,” Craig Berube said on Thursday when asked what he knows about the new arrival. “He gets in here later today, and then we will chat with him and see where he is at. We will talk a little bit and figure it out.”
Should Benning be able to remain on the team long-term, he will slot in as a depth defenceman who plays a physical brand of hockey, is sound defensively, and can chip in when needed. He will be more in line with how Phillippe Myers has been used up to this point and that means Conor Timmins’ spot in the lineup remains safe for the time being.
If he ends up playing, the Leafs will get a serviceable veteran blueliner to slot in when needed. If not, then they will use his experience to try and get more assets back or stock up their draft cupboard a bit more. Either way, Benning will not dwell on his future and instead do what he can with the opportunity he is now getting in Toronto.
