Matt Benning, a 30-year-old defenseman, was acquired by the Maple Leafs from the Sharks on October 30, in a trade that sent Timothy Liljegren to San Jose. Before the trade, he played seven games for the Sharks, recording a minus-5 rating and averaging 13:02 in ice time. He has yet to play for Toronto, which has a full roster and is expected to activate defenseman Jani Hakanpaa from long-term injured reserve soon. Benning is in the third year of a four-year contract with a $1.25 million cap hit and has a total of 464 career NHL games, tallying 17 goals and 85 assists for 102 points.