Matt Benning is long past sweating the large stuff, like in his second season with the Edmonton Oilers when he says worry at some of his body of work caused him to lose some hair.
So, after his first extended season in the AHL last winter with the Maple Leafs organization after they got him and two draft picks from San Jose for Swedish D Timothy Liljegren in late October, 2024, the 31-year-old defenceman will roll with the punches when Toronto’s training camp opens next month.
Benning knows the score, this son of another NHL defenceman Brian, the grandson of his late decorated amateur hockey scout Elmer, charged with finding kids who might be able to play in the best league in the world. Matt has played close to 500 NHL games as a sixth-round draft pick in 2012—only one player, Connor Brown, from that draft class has played in more games (601) as a sixth-rounder. He has bucked fairly large odds, this former Spruce Grove Saints D, to have gotten this far.
But now, he’s come to an intersection and he’s seeing introspection. He’s still got the tools to be a 6-7 NHL defenceman, but there is a fair chance, he could be back in the minors again this season because the Leafs are deep on D.
He’s only just turned 31 in May, so far from old but he is on his fourth team after Edmonton, Nashville and San Jose. He has played just 21 NHL games the past two seasons with his hip surgery to repair a torn labrum with the Sharks and his trade to the Leafs. He’s played 464 games in the NHL and teams always covet veteran D, but the Leafs never gave him a sniff last season, burying all but $100,000 of his $1.25 million contract in the AHL after the trade of Liljegren.
Until last season, he had only played five games in the minors for Bakersfield, coming out of Northeastern University in Boston, and making the Oilers as a free-agent in 2016. He’s long been a grinder, but he has to prove he’s still an NHLer as he skates at Perry Pearn’s annual 3-on-3 late summer pro camp here.
“I was fine with it (AHL last season). I was excited to play more, find my game again after my big (hip) injury. Individually, if I felt I could be in the NHL again, then it was the right move to be down there,” said Benning, who was a starter pretty much for all of his 248 league games as an Oiler and 16 more in the playoffs.
‘I still think I’m an NHL defenceman’
He’s a defenceman, in a lot of ways mirroring the career of Oilers’ Troy Stecher, both right-shot D, more defenders than point-producers. The dogged, undrafted Stecher is maybe faster but he’s smaller than Benning.
“Yeah, we’re the same age,” said Benning, agreeing to the comparison.
“I still think I’m an NHL defenceman. I didn’t get a chance for a call-up (with the Leafs) but their D core is really good. I don’t blame them. I need a good camp to either impress them or another team (waiver claim) before the season starts.”
On the right side in Toronto, they have Chris Tanev and Brandon Carlo in the top four with Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the third pair. They also have Phil Myers and Henry Thrun, acquired from Sharks this summer for Ryan Reaves in the picture.
Zach Hyman #18 of the Edmonton Oilers skates with the puck against Christopher Tanev #8 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period in an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on Nov. 16, 2024 in Toronto. The Maple Leafs defeated the Oilers 4-3 in overtime.
“I was only up with the Leafs for two weeks (after the trade), then got sent down (after clearing waivers),” said Benning, who wasn’t totally caught off-guard by the trade to Toronto because the transaction wire had been very busy there.
“The three years I was in San Jose, there was maybe four guys left from my first year there. Everyone was getting shipped out or new guys were coming in. I knew it (trade) was a possibility and funny enough when I was a free-agent (after Nashville), Toronto and San Jose were the two teams I was deciding on.”
The hip issue in San Jose was wear and tear.
“I couldn’t even sit in a chair for more than five minutes,” he said.
“It would pinch, and it was achy. I’d have to stand up and shake it out. You know how it goes, you’re sitting on a plane for a couple of hours at a time.”
So he opted for surgery Jan. 4, 2024, with two and a half years left on his contract, aware that recovery time is six to seven months but in reality players don’t start feeling themselves for a year. With the Marlies, he also dislocated his shoulder, missing six weeks. He got into 48 games in 2024-2025, if you count the seven with the Sharks before the trade for Liljegren, 39 league and two playoff games for the Marlies.
‘There’s been so much turnover in San Jose’
Playing for the rebuilding Sharks was no picnic, wins at a premium, but they seem farther ahead in their start-over than the Chicago Blackhawks.
“There’s been so much turnover in San Jose…you can’t really create a culture. You saw that with the Oilers 10 or 15 years ago,” said Benning,. “But the coach (Ryan Warsofsky) makes sure they’re competitive, that they play a certain way. You need a lot of pieces to be competitive but they’ve got some solid pieces.”
Like centre Macklin Celebrini, in the hunt for a Canadian Olympic team spot, the lead dog after 63 points in 70 games as a rookie last season. Benning is a huge fan.
Macklin Celebrini #71 of the San Jose Sharks skates with the puck as he is pursued by Mattias Janmark #13 of the Edmonton Oilers in the second period at SAP Center on April 16, 2025 in San Jose, California.
“He’s a guy who wants the puck and can take over a game. People don’t realize how big he is for his age (19 and 190 pounds.) He’s strong and he’s a gamer. He wants to take guys on one-on-one,” said Benning, who also played with ex-Oiler winger Klim Kostin in San Jose.
“When Klim first got to San Jose I told him used to play for the Oilers too and I’m from Edmonton. We were buddies for a bit. I knew he was a fan favourite (Oilers) and he played well. He’s a big guy, good skill…when he puts his mind to it he can be a great player. The consistency for him is a harder part,” said Benning.
“In San Jose, his first year there we were out of the playoffs in February. He would be on the first line one game and then be scratched. It was hard to get into a rhythm for him but when he puts his mind to it, there’s a lot there. He’s a massive guy, good hands,” said Benning.
Benning’s younger brother Mike, 23, has spent the last two years playing for Florida Panthers’ AHL farm team in Charlotte. The defenceman just signed a one year, two-way deal with the Panthers, but his road to their squad is blocked. They lost third-pairing D Nate Schmidt to free-agency but filled him with another veteran.
“Yeah, (Jeff) Petry. He’s (Mike) a little bit handcuffed but he had a good year (minors). He’s a good player, an offensive guy who can run a power play,” said brother Matt.
“It’s a tough spot being on a team that’s going for it (three straight trips to the finals, two Cup celebrations in a row, a heavy favourite to be make the finals again this season). But I don’t think he’s discouraged,” he said.
Neither is the big brother.
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