On Nov. 23, 2022, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired defenceman Conor Timmins from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for forward Curtis Douglas. Timmins scored his first goal of his NHL career in early January 2023 and then went on a heater. He scored 10 points in just 12 games for the Maple Leafs.
At the time, his impressive performance led many to wonder whether Timmins was the real deal or merely enjoying a temporary hot streak that he might be unable to sustain. While he didn’t sustain that kind of initial success over the long term, he did show that he could generate offensive numbers when he played for the team.
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Timmins played 25 games for the Maple Leafs in the 2022-23 season, scoring two goals and 12 assists for 14 points. Despite not playing in the postseason, they were impressed enough with his play to sign him to a two-year $1.1 million per season contract in November 2023.
Last Preseason, Timmins Once Again Put Up Numbers
After a massive preseason in 2023 that included a four-point game against the Buffalo Sabres, Timmins suffered a knee injury at the end of training camp. He missed two months, returning to the lineup on Nov. 24. From that point, he was in and out of the lineup. He played 25 games, scoring a goal and adding nine assists for 10 points.
Timmins has shown an ability to put up points. He was a point-a-game defenceman in his last two junior seasons with the Soo Greyhounds. He scored 15 goals and added 87 assists for 102 points in 103 games. After being drafted 32nd overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2017, between injuries and the pandemic, Timmins only played 52 games in the American Hockey League. There, he produced 34 points and played 41 games with the Avalanche. With the Arizona Coyotes, he scored zero goals and added ten assists.
Timmins’ Body of Work with the Maple Leafs
In the 50 regular season games Timmins has played for the Maple Leafs, he scored three goals and added 21 assists for 24 points. That is an 82-game pace of five goals, 34 points, and 39 points. That would have placed him second in scoring for a Maple Leafs’ defenceman this past season – 11 points ahead of Jake McCabe. (Morgan Rielly was the Maple Leafs’ top blue-line scorer with seven goals, 51 assists, and 58 points.)
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If we look at Timmins’ underlying numbers, we can see that he has posted some excellent statistics with the Maple Leafs. His Corsi for percentage was 57%. His goals for, scoring chances for, and high-danger scoring chances for were all 60%.
The one caveat we have to report is that Timmins played limited, sheltered minutes. He averaged just under 16 minutes per game, playing exclusively on the third pair.
Even considering his usage, with Timmins’ old-school numbers and advanced statistics, we believe the Maple Leafs should be looking for ways to increase his usage. Instead, he finds himself on the outside looking in.
Will Timmins Get a Look-See From Head Coach Berube?
It will be interesting to see what kind of a chance Timmins will get under new head coach Craig Berube. It is no secret that Berube prefers his defencemen to be big and physical. Timmins is 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, and has averaged over a hit a game (57 hits in 50 games) for the Maple Leafs. Those numbers could get Berube’s attention. But, if it is a third-pairing role, the right-handed Timmins is fighting for his main competition, 6-foot-6 Jani Hakanpaa, who has amassed 1,030 hits in 332 regular season and playoff games.
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Unless something changes – like another stunning preseason training camp – Timmins will probably only be in the lineup if there are injuries on the right side. In some ways, given his propensity to generate offensive points, that’s curious. The unknown in Timmins’ deployment is the new head coach.
Could Berube find Timmins’ play more to his liking than former head coach Sheldon Keefe did? We will soon see.
[Note: I want to thank long-time Maple Leafs fan Stan Smith for collaborating with me on this post. Stan’s Facebook profile can be found here.]
