A Toronto Maple Leafs trade to shore up their defence seemed inevitable, and one came down the pipe today. The Leafs picked up Conor Timmins via trade in exchange for Curtis Douglas from the Arizona Coyotes.
Thread: The Coyotes have traded D Conor Timmins to the Maple Leafs for 6-9 C Curtis Douglas.
They wanted to waive Timmins to send him to Tucson where he could play a lot of games, minutes & situations, all things they felt he needed but wasn't going to get right now in the NHL.— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) November 23, 2022
Maple Leafs Make Conor Timmons Trade
Connor Timmins is a right-handed defenceman taken in the second round of the 2017 entry draft. He’s played for both the Colorado Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes and has 7 assists in 41 NHL games so far. The Coyotes were having trouble getting him onto the ice, so they wanted to send him to the AHL. Unfortunately for them, he is no longer waiver-exempt. Rather than lose him for nothing, they worked a deal with the Leafs.
The biggest reason for Timmins’ lack of ice time is his injury history. Knee surgery kept him off the ice for most of 2021-22 and this season. He has just wrapped up his AHL conditioning stint. As for the kind of player Timmins is, he’s projected as an all-around defender who is responsible in his own end. As ambiguous as it is, “two-way defenceman” is a reasonable term for him. He will need to gain strength, even at 24 years old, if he wants to win fights in front of the net, though.
All of his seven career assists were with his 31-game season in Colorado. The Maple Leafs trade is going to give him a huge chance to make an impression in the NHL. At least until their injuries start to clear. Toronto hopes the Conor Timmons trade shores up the defence.
Going the Other Way
Arizona is getting size, and lots of it. Centre Curtis Douglas was a fourth-round selection in 2018 and has been collecting mostly penalty minutes in the AHL. In Douglas’ 80 AHL games he has 13 goals, 45 points, and 116 minutes in penalties. There is an added bonus for the Coyotes in that they will save $800K, given Timmins’ one-way deal. Douglas is also under contract for another year.
Douglas is going to get his ice time in Tuscon, and he might develop into someone Arizona can use. He’s got a few names between him and the NHL, though, so it’s going to be an uphill fight for him. Given the unique nature of the Coyotes over the next few years, anything is possible. If anything, that can make the move a good one for him and Arizona. But for now, he’ll earn his stripes in the minors.
