Ex-Leafs defenceman Liljegren has changed the pronunciation of his name
Former Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Timothy Liljegren is off to a fresh new start with the San Jose Sharks in more ways than one.
The Leafs traded the 25-year-old Liljegren to the Sharks last week in a deal that saw defenceman Matthew Benning come the other way. While Leafs fans had come to know him over the six years he spent in the Toronto organization, they apparently mispronounced his name.
During last night’s Canucks broadcast, as they were playing the Sharks, Sportsnet’s Scott Oake reported that Liljegren had asked for the pronunciation of his last name to be changed.
In Toronto, it was pronounced like “Lil-eh-gren,” but he asked for it to be announced like “Lil-juh-gren” in San Jose.
The Canucks broadcast just said that Timothy Liljegren requested to change his last name's pronunciation to Lil-juh-gren upon arriving in San Jose
— Kyle Cushman (@Kyle_Cush) November 3, 2024
Shipping Liljegren to the West Coast seemed more of a cap dump than anything else. The team was able to shed his $3 million cap hit and take on Benning’s cheaper $1.25 million AAV. Though Benning is still a useful NHL defender, recent reports indicate that the Leafs are looking to flip the 30-year-old in another trade.
The Swedish defender was a former first-round pick of the Leafs back in 2017 and has appeared in 197 games with Toronto and 13 playoff games. During that span he put up 14 goals and 65 points from the blueline.
On the other hand, Benning is an NHL veteran of over 450 games, having played for the Edmonton Oilers, Nashville Predators, Sharks, and now the Leafs.