Matt Benning had an idea his time in San Jose might be up.
Still, the veteran defenceman had a common reaction on Wednesday when he was dealt to the Maple Leafs in the trade that involved Timothy Liljegren heading west.
“I understand it’s a business and I thought one of us would get moved, but I was surprised,” Benning said. “At 30 years old, this is the first time I’ve been traded. So it was a new experience for me.
“We had a lot of young guys coming in and were in a different situation than (the Leafs). We had a couple older right-shot defencemen, but some young guys needed to get in the lineup.”
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Benning went into scramble mode so he could get to Toronto as soon as possible. His wife and two kids are at the family’s off-season home in Edmonton, so travel plans beyond what was required for Benning didn’t need to be made.
“Lots of phone calls,” Benning said. “A lot of figuring out to do and quickly pack your bags and get ready for an 8 a.m. (Pacific time) flight the next day. It’s part of the job description.”
Benning, the son of former NHLer Brian Benning and the nephew of former Leafs defenceman Jim Benning, landed in Toronto late on Thursday afternoon and was whisked to a downtown hotel. He had enough time to drop off his belongings, change into a suit and make it to Scotiabank Arena to watch the Leafs beat the Seattle Kraken 4-1.
“Just take it day by day,” Benning said. “It’s a new experience for me, like I said. It’s a good opportunity to get to know some of the guys and practice and work on my game.”