• For users coming over from tmlfans.ca your username will remain the same but you will need to use the password reset feature (check your spam folder) on the login page in order to set your password. If you encounter issues, email Rick couchmanrick@gmail.com

Leafs acquire Conor Timmins from ARI

Frank E said:
bustaheims said:
L K said:
Curtis Douglas was never going to play for the Leafs.  Connor Timmins may never be healthy enough to play for the Leafs.  6'2 200lbs RHD wins that trade every day of the week.  We also had pretty good success the last time we acquired a RHD from the Coyotes
Click to expand...

This.

If Timmins gets into games for the Leafs, that's already an asset upgrade. If he even approaches the potential he once had, it's a huge steal. Douglas isn't a big loss (outside of the fact he's, you know, a large human).
Click to expand...

Maybe.
Click to expand...

Good trade on the face of it, but yeah, I kinda wanted to see him make the Leafs.
 
https://theathletic.com/4018545/2022/12/20/conor-timmins-maple-leafs/
Timmins has made an immediate impact with the Leafs, posting six assists in his first six games.
[...] Timmins is most intriguing as a ?future play, big time? as GM Kyle Dubas put it.

He?s someone Dubas is obviously very familiar with: In his last days running the Greyhounds, Dubas took Timmins with the 79th pick in the 2014 OHL draft. Timmins remembers attending Sheldon Keefe-led training camps in the Soo and played there alongside Rasmus Sandin and Mac Hollowell.

As a result, he was instantly familiar with the way the Leafs like to play.

?There?s definitely certain nuances that change,? he said. ?But it?s a lot of the same foundations, so I think I have a good foundation to build upon.?

Keefe?s style, he says, ?fits my game really well.?
Click to expand...

When Keefe was initially hired as the Marlies coach, I wondered out loud about how limiting it seemed for Dubas to just immediately pick up the guy he was working with before getting the Leafs job, similar to the old-boys club carousel that NHL Front Offices seem to operate already. Pretty fair to say now, Dubas wasn't wrong, and there's something to be said for the value of all the selection work that led to the initial hiring over Mike Stapleton.

Similar case here with Soo players Dubas and Keefe are familiar with. It shortcuts a lot of the adjustment period for the coaching staff and for the player. As long as the player's base was good, there are these advantages to picking the former Greyhound. It gets less good when they age out of being good players though, and the familiarity becomes inertia that slows or prevents the correct action.

In any case, Timmins was someone I was hoping we'd draft with that late 2017 first assuming Liljegren and Brannstrom were unavailable. To snag him for essentially free is delectable.
 
herman said:
https://theathletic.com/4018545/2022/12/20/conor-timmins-maple-leafs/
Timmins has made an immediate impact with the Leafs, posting six assists in his first six games.
[...] Timmins is most intriguing as a ?future play, big time? as GM Kyle Dubas put it.

He?s someone Dubas is obviously very familiar with: In his last days running the Greyhounds, Dubas took Timmins with the 79th pick in the 2014 OHL draft. Timmins remembers attending Sheldon Keefe-led training camps in the Soo and played there alongside Rasmus Sandin and Mac Hollowell.

As a result, he was instantly familiar with the way the Leafs like to play.

?There?s definitely certain nuances that change,? he said. ?But it?s a lot of the same foundations, so I think I have a good foundation to build upon.?

Keefe?s style, he says, ?fits my game really well.?
Click to expand...

When Keefe was initially hired as the Marlies coach, I wondered out loud about how limiting it seemed for Dubas to just immediately pick up the guy he was working with before getting the Leafs job, similar to the old-boys club carousel that NHL Front Offices seem to operate already. Pretty fair to say now, Dubas wasn't wrong, and there's something to be said for the value of all the selection work that led to the initial hiring over Mike Stapleton.

Similar case here with Soo players Dubas and Keefe are familiar with. It shortcuts a lot of the adjustment period for the coaching staff and for the player. As long as the player's base was good, there are these advantages to picking the former Greyhound. It gets less good when they age out of being good players though, and the familiarity becomes inertia that slows or prevents the correct action.

In any case, Timmins was someone I was hoping we'd draft with that late 2017 first assuming Liljegren and Brannstrom were unavailable. To snag him for essentially free is delectable.
Click to expand...

He's been better than I thought so far considering how few games he's played in his career.
 
No need to decide now as we will have ample opportunities to lose another defenseman to injury by the time Rielly returns. I do think the long-term play is Timmins and Liljegren become top 4 fixtures on the right side (or an extremely luxurious 3rd RD).
 
herman said:
No need to decide now as we will have ample opportunities to lose another defenseman to injury by the time Rielly returns. I do think the long-term play is Timmins and Liljegren become top 4 fixtures on the right side (or an extremely luxurious 3rd RD).
Click to expand...

Even when healthy, I suspect we'll see Sandin, Liljegren, Timmins, Benn, etc. rotating in and out for load management, different looks, and such.
 
There are defensive parts of his game that look really raw still but his instincts and good.  Couple that with his size and the fact that he's a RHD and he looks like a guy the Leafs should find ways to keep on the roster. 
 
https://twitter.com/camcharronyvr/status/1606709352689463297
Check down thread for examples

Timmins knows how to play Keefe-puck
 
With Sandin back it looks like Timmins will sit, could a healthy d corp enable TO to trade Brodie, freeing up significant Cap space to use to upgrade the forwards.

I love the idea of TO using Cap space to add P. Kane and Horvat, it would definitely be an all in situation.
 
hobarth said:
With Sandin back it looks like Timmins will sit, could a healthy d corp enable TO to trade Brodie, freeing up significant Cap space to use to upgrade the forwards.

I love the idea of TO using Cap space to add P. Kane and Horvat, it would definitely be an all in situation.
Click to expand...

Brodie has a full NTC until the off-season, when it's reduced to a 10 team NTC.  Trading him in the off-season isn't a bad idea, but it won't happen before then.
 
So, the team should trade their most reliable defenceman to free up cap space? Yeah, that?s a hard no from me.
 
bustaheims said:
So, the team should trade their most reliable defenceman to free up cap space? Yeah, that?s a hard no from me.
Click to expand...

Also while Timmins has looked very good in his short time here, he's also played almost all of his minutes alongside Brodie who has consistently made his defence partner look good throughout his time as a Leaf.
 
hobarth said:
With Sandin back it looks like Timmins will sit, could a healthy d corp enable TO to trade Brodie, freeing up significant Cap space to use to upgrade the forwards.

I love the idea of TO using Cap space to add P. Kane and Horvat, it would definitely be an all in situation.
Click to expand...
Not a chance Brodie is going anywhere. Don't see the Leafs going after Kane or Horvat. Cost will be too high.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
bustaheims said:
So, the team should trade their most reliable defenceman to free up cap space? Yeah, that?s a hard no from me.
Click to expand...

Also while Timmins has looked very good in his short time here, he's also played almost all of his minutes alongside Brodie who has consistently made his defence partner look good throughout his time as a Leaf.
Click to expand...

That's also a big factor. As much as I've liked what Timmins has brought when he's been in the lineup, I don't think he's made any of the 6 regulars expendable. He's more like a solid insurance policy and an intriguing piece moving forward.
 
https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2023/01/02/sheldon-keefe-on-william-nylander-taking-a-step-this-season/
Keefe: Conor Timmins has played really well for us. He is going to come out, but he has played really well. We are going to use the time wisely that he is not playing and continue to work with him to allow him to continue to grow into his potential. I think he has room to grow there.
Click to expand...

They're going to polish his skating mechanics and feed him whatever they fed Justin Holl to make him super effective on retrievals.
 
bustaheims said:
CarltonTheBear said:
bustaheims said:
So, the team should trade their most reliable defenceman to free up cap space? Yeah, that?s a hard no from me.
Click to expand...

Also while Timmins has looked very good in his short time here, he's also played almost all of his minutes alongside Brodie who has consistently made his defence partner look good throughout his time as a Leaf.
Click to expand...

That's also a big factor. As much as I've liked what Timmins has brought when he's been in the lineup, I don't think he's made any of the 6 regulars expendable. He's more like a solid insurance policy and an intriguing piece moving forward.
Click to expand...

Definitely. If there's one thing you can count on, it's injuries, not to mention I would expect that the leafs would be be smart to do some load management for Giordano down the stretch. Timmins has shown way more potential than Benn or Mete, and they essentially got him for free. Perfect fit for the 7th spot, and who knows what could happen in the offseason.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top