The Toronto Maple Leafs have locked up one of their in-season additions, signing Conor Timmins to a two-year contract extension. The deal will carry an average annual value of $1.1MM.
Timmins, 24, was acquired from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Curtis Douglas earlier this season, and quickly found a home at the back end of Toronto’s blueline depth chart. In 18 games with the Maple Leafs, he has 12 points, showing off his quick decision-making and strong passing ability to find the team’s talented forwards.
While he isn’t yet a regular in the lineup, rotating in and out with the likes of Jordie Benn, Timmins is a nice future play for a Maple Leafs team that is always pushing right up against the cap ceiling. At $1.1MM, he’s cheap enough to even be a seventh defenseman, but more likely, he slides into the group full-time next season on the third pairing. Justin Holl, who currently logs big minutes on the right side, is scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer, while T.J. Brodie and Mark Giordano’s contracts expire the year after that.
Douglas, on the other hand, has just nine points in 39 AHL games split between the Toronto Marlies and Tucson Roadrunners this season. The 6’9″ forward is a powerhouse on the ice and showed some nice offensive progression last year, but appears to have taken a step back in that regard. Still, he’s won’t turn 23 for another month and as we’ve seen in recent years, players his size often take a little bit longer to develop.
The book isn’t written on the trade just yet, but so far, the Maple Leafs are way out ahead. Timmins will be a cheap option for the team the next two years, and will still be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2025, able to sign another extension if everything works out.
Every team needs a turnover machine.
He’s shown flashes of absolute brilliance, big RhD for 1.1 might as well
would much rather have him at 1.1 than Rielly. More than JT, Marner, AM, etc. that is the contract that will sink the leafs
Exactly, kid’s in his first NHL season and he hasn’t even played much due to injuries. He’ll clean this stuff up. His talent is undeniable. Now if they can ditch Reilly and Holl and Muzzin can finally admit defeat they can get so cheap on defense they’ll be able to make some impactful moves.