SAN JOSE – Defenseman Timothy Liljegren said he will be ready to play again every time San Jose Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky gives the word.

This isn’t surprising, considering Liljegren has been left out with the Toronto Maple Leafs for all but one game this season.

“I’ll be ready,” Liljegren said Thursday morning at the Sharks’ practice facility, “whenever they call my name.”

Puck-moving Liljegren won’t play Thursday when the Sharks host Connor Bédard and the Chicago Blackhawksbut it would be a surprise if he didn’t play Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks. The Sharks will determine that after Friday’s practice.

“He has that ability to see the ice really well, make the right reads and execute. He has the puck skills to do those things,” Warsofsky said of Liljegren. “He can read forechecks, help get pucks out and maybe trap an F3 to give us a weird situation.

“I think his vision and his sense of hockey with the puck (are) probably the biggest things that will help us.”

The Sharks acquired Liljegren from the Maple Leafs on Wednesday for a fellowdefender Matt Benning, right shootera third-round selection in 2025 and San Jose’s sixth-round pick in 2026. Toronto will receive the first of two third-round selections the Sharks possess.

“I’m happy to be here,” Liljegren said, “and to get some confidence back.”

Liljegren, 25, signed a two-year, $6 million contract with Toronto as a restricted free agent this summer, with both sides avoiding arbitration. But it’s true that he didn’t have a great training camp and was often on the outside looking in, with new Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube opting to dress Conor Timmins as his third right-handed defenseman.

As a result, Liljegren was knocked out nine times in 10 matches, which naturally affected his confidence.

Did Liljegren, now in his eighth North American professional season, feel he had a good chance with Berube?

“I don’t know. We had a lot of competition, a lot of good (defenders),” he said. “Some things didn’t really go the way I wanted at camp, and I didn’t really play my best hockey either, so I wasn’t happy with the way I was playing.”

“It was just like moving the puck faster. But it’s all good,” Liljegren said of the message he heard from the Leafs coaching staff. “It was tough mentally, that’s for sure. But I thought I did a good job training hard and staying in shape. I’m fine now.

Warsofsky said Liljegren would be on the Sharks’ power play at some point, playing up top like Jake Walman and Jack Thompson have been, but he wasn’t sure who he would pair with on the back end.

The best pair of Walman and Cody Ceci will likely remain intact, so Liljegren would apparently be paired with Mario Ferraro or Henry Thrun, both shooting lefts. Ferraro has played primarily with Jan Rutta this season, and Thrun has played with Benning or Thompson.

“I think Mario and (Rutta) have been really good in the last few games,” Warsofsky said, “so we’ll decide that here in the future.”

While the trade gives the Maple Leafs additional salary cap space – Benning’s cap hit is $1.25 million per season – and draft capital, the Sharks get a defenseman who can move pucks efficiently, d help with escapes and join the race.

The Sharks could use more offense from their blue line. While Walman started Thursday with eight points in 11 games, the other six defensemen the Sharks have faced this season have totaled seven points. Walman has the only goal among all San Jose defenders.

Liljegren played 55 games with the Leafs last season and tied his career high with 23 points. He will apparently have an opportunity to improve those numbers in San Jose.

“That’s probably why (general manager) Mike (Grier) acquired him, right, to continue to improve our ability to move the puck, at 5-on-5 and on the power play.” , Warsofsky said. “Obviously we talked about Thompson and (Walman) up there, and we’re going to give (Liljegren) a chance here. But we have high hopes that he can help us on our backend, that’s for sure.

The criticism of Liljegren is that while he is not small (6-foot-1 and 201 pounds), he is not physical, which could have been the reason he fell out of favor with a pragmatic coach like Berube. In 197 career NHL games, Liljegren is credited with 297 hits.

Warsofsky doesn’t expect Liljegren to suddenly become a thunderous body checker on the back end, but he also wants to see some physicality in his game.

“Every guy is a little different. Some guys…they’re not going to put them in Section 220,” Warsofsky said. “It’s mostly about positioning when you’re on the ice in the defensive zone that will help him be successful where he’s defending more inside the ice, and he doesn’t need to stretch out physically along the walls.