Sabres Recall Isak Rosen, Place Conor Timmins On IR
The Sabres have added some extra forward depth in advance of their game this afternoon against the Islanders. The team announced that winger Isak Rosen has been recalled from AHL Rochester. To make room for him on the roster, defenseman Conor Timmins was placed on injured reserve.
Rosen, a 2021 first-round pick, has been back and forth between the two teams this season; this is his third recall of the campaign. Rosen has played in a dozen games with Buffalo this season and has fared well, picking up three goals and four assists while averaging just over 14 minutes per night of playing time. However, his waiver exemption likely works against him as when a spot is needed, sending him down is much safer than potentially exposing a different player to waivers.
Meanwhile, the 22-year-old has been a top-flight producer in the minors with the Americans as well. He leads the league in points per game at 1.47 thanks to tallying a team-high dozen goals with ten assists in just 15 outings. He’s certainly playing well enough to earn a longer look with Buffalo, we’ll see if he gets that chance this time around.
As for Timmins, his placement should come as no surprise. It was revealed on Friday that the blueliner is set to miss the next six to eight weeks due to a broken leg, derailing what had been a solid first half of the season as he is averaging a career-best 19:14 of playing time per night. He’ll now remain on IR until he returns at likely some point in February.
Sabres’ Conor Timmins Out Multiple Weeks With Broken Leg
After last night’s win over the Philadelphia Flyers, the Buffalo Sabres announced that defenseman Conor Timmins would miss the next six to eight weeks with a broken leg.
Since Michael Kesselring returned to the lineup last night, the Sabres don’t necessarily need to place Timmins on the injured reserve since they have seven healthy defensemen on the roster. However, due to the severity of the injury and the length of the recovery timeline, they’ll likely place him on it to allow the recall of additional depth.
The injury happened fairly late in the game as Timmins exited the contest with 5:20 remaining in the final frame. Video replay suggests that Timmins’ skate caught a rough spot in the ice, causing his leg to bend awkwardly and fracture.
Timmins, 27, is in his first year with the Sabres after being traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins last offseason. He has skated in every game this season, leading up to the injury, tallying six assists with a -11 rating while averaging 19:14 of action. In fact, his 33 games played this year are the second-highest season total of his career.
Given that, he was well on his way to matching his career-high in points, though it’s unrealistic to think he wouldn’t have scored at least one goal over the course of the regular season. Unfortunately, since he won’t play again until late January or early February, Timmins may have to wait another season to set a new personal benchmark.
Regardless, Timmins’ injury will mean more ice time for at least one defenseman on Buffalo’s roster. The team will likely move Kesselring into a top-four role and rely on 27-year-old Zach Metsa or 28-year-old Jacob Bryson to fill in the void on the bottom pairing.
Sabres Sign Conor Timmins To Two-Year Deal
The Buffalo Sabres have signed defenseman Conor Timmins to a two-year, $4.4MM contract per a team release. Michael Augello of The Hockey News first reported the move. The two sides will avoid an arbitration date with this move, after previous reports claimed they were still far apart on a new deal. Buffalo acquired Timmins and Isaac Belliveau from the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2025 NHL Draft in exchange for Connor Clifton and a second-round pick.
Timmins will double his salary in his new landing space, after spending the last two seasons on a two-year, $2.2MM contract originally signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023. The deal came on the heels of Timmins’ first full season with the Leafs, though his year was ultimately limited to 25 games by a long-term, lower-body injury. He scored 14 points in those appearances. That was enough to set up a return to the NHL ranks for the 2023-24 season, though Timmins was again limited to 10 points in 25 games due to routine injury.
The battles through health have headlined much of Timmins’ career, but strong play on both sides of the ice have kept him fixed in NHL lineups despite limited minutes. He found a bid of, mostly, clean health in the 2024-25 season – and managed to step into 51 games through the first half of Toronto’s season. He recorded eight points, 24 penalty minutes, and a plus-two in those appearances. But with Toronto tinkering with their blue-line in the Spring, Timmins was shipped out to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Trade Deadline alongside forward Connor Dewar in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick. Timmins finished his year with seven points and a plus-nine in 17 games with the Penguins and will now be set for yet another move in the Eastern Conference.
Buffalo clearly sees potential in Timmins. They shipped out established defender Clifton and a valuable draft pick to land Timmins’ negotiating rights, and will now sign him to a hardy contract relative to his experience in the league. He’s been a stout, two-way defender in his healthy minutes – capable of moving the puck, shutting down opponents, and throwing hits. But he’s yet to appear in more than 51 games with one club in a single season, and has averaged just 27 games per season through his six-year NHL career. A move to Buffalo will mark a chance to truly plant his feet, and break out in the way many expected when he went 32nd-overall in the 2017 NHL Draft.
East Notes: Timmins, Järnkrok, Garand
The Sabres and restricted free agent defenseman Conor Timmins are not close on a new contract with his arbitration hearing eight days away, according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.
Two of the seven players who filed for arbitration and didn’t reach settlements in the first few weeks of July have since settled since their hearing dates were announced. Arbitration hearings were initially slated to begin today with the Kraken and Kaapo Kakko, but they reached a three-year settlement earlier in the week. Earlier today, the Islanders also signed Maxim Tsyplakov to a two-year, $4.5MM deal.
That leaves Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Söderblom with the first hearing on Monday if the two sides don’t come to an agreement over the weekend. As for Timmins, Pagnotta says there has been no traction on the talks, and the two sides expect to use the hearing to resolve their dispute.
Buffalo acquired Timmins from the Penguins on draft day in something of a salary dump, sending older, more expensive righty Connor Clifton to Pittsburgh. The Sabres were his third team in a few months after beginning the season with the Maple Leafs, where the offensive-minded righty only had eight points in 51 games. He was then traded to the Penguins at the deadline as the Leafs freed up roster space to make other pickups, notably Brandon Carlo and Scott Laughton.
General manager Kevyn Adams said when Buffalo picked him that he’s a player they’ve had their eyes on for a while. Timmins could be in line for an increased role in Buffalo with only Michael Kesselring alongside him as a right-shot defenseman on their projected active roster, and because of that, he’s likely looking for more than what the Sabres are currently willing to offer. The 2017 No. 32 overall pick has 46 points in 159 career NHL games with the Avalanche, Coyotes, Maple Leafs, and Penguins.
There’s more out of the Eastern Conference:
- Things are similarly quiet with the Maple Leafs as they continue to shop veteran forward Calle Järnkrok to clear cap space, Pagnotta said. There haven’t been any teams linked to him as “the market hasn’t been vibrant,” Pagnotta wrote, but Toronto continues to make clear he’s available as they eye other moves to help fill the Mitch Marner void. While he only has one year left on his deal, they’re inhibited by Järnkrok’s 10-team no-trade list and the fact that he’s only played in 71 out of a possible 164 games (43.3%) over the last two seasons due to various injuries. He had one goal and seven points in 19 games last season after recovering from sports hernia surgery.
- The Rangers aren’t concerned about reaching an agreement with RFA goalie Dylan Garand, Peter Baugh of The Athletic writes. The 23-year-old is the organization’s top prospect between the pipes and is firmly entrenched as their third-stringer with Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick still comprising their NHL tandem, but both sides see a pathway for him to make the jump to the NHL in 2026-27, Baugh writes. After posting sub-.900 save percentages in his first two professional seasons, Garand improved to a .913 mark in 39 games for the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack in 2024-25.
Arbitration Schedule For Remaining Cases Finalized
The arbitration hearing dates for the few remaining unsettled cases have been finalized, PuckPedia reports:
F Kaapo Kakko, Kraken: July 25
G Arvid Soderblom, Blackhawks: July 28
F Maxim Tsyplakov, Islanders: July 29
D Dylan Samberg, Jets: July 30
D Conor Timmins, Sabres: Aug. 2
F Nicholas Robertson, Maple Leafs: Aug. 3
D Jayden Struble, Canadiens: Aug. 3
There are only seven out of this year’s initial 11 player-elected arbitration cases still without a resolution as the hearings approach. Winnipeg had three of the players on that list and has settled with two of them, reaching a two-year, $3.7MM settlement with Morgan Barron and a substantial six-year, $45MM deal for Gabriel Vilardi.
The Ducks also had two arbitration cases on that list, but settled with both of them in the past few days. Depth defenseman Drew Helleson got a two-year, $2.2MM contract, while emerging star goaltender Lukas Dostal signed a five-year, $32.5MM deal.
There were two team-elected arbitration cases this year, the Sabres’ Bowen Byram and the Mammoth’s Jack McBain, but both have been settled.
As for the seven players above, they can continue talks with their clubs on a new deal until the hearing begins. After that, they’re bound to the arbitrator’s decision.
Players who reach an arbitration hearing are only eligible to sign a one or two-year contract. Since the player filed for arbitration in all seven cases above, the team gets to choose the contract length after receiving the arbitrator’s decision on the AAV. However, only Robertson, Soderblom, and Struble would be eligible for two-year contracts. Everyone else is one year away from being eligible for unrestricted free agency status, so they can’t receive a multi-year arbitration award.
If the arbitration award exceeds $4.85MM in any case, the team can decline it and allow the player to become an unrestricted free agent.
Eleven Players Elect Salary Arbitration
Eleven players across the NHL have elected for salary arbitration, per the NHLPA.
Those names include:
- F Morgan Barron (Winnipeg Jets)
- G Lukas Dostal (Anaheim Ducks)
- D Drew Helleson (Anaheim Ducks)
- F Kaapo Kakko (Seattle Kraken)
- F Nicholas Robertson (Toronto Maple Leafs)
- D Dylan Samberg (Winnipeg Jets)
- G Arvid Soderblom (Chicago Blackhawks)
- D Jayden Struble (Montreal Canadiens)
- D Conor Timmins (Buffalo Sabres)
- F Maxim Tsyplakov (New York Islanders)
- F Gabriel Vilardi (Winnipeg Jets)
The deadline for second club-elected arbitration is Sunday at 5 p.m., with arbitration hearings scheduled from July 20 to August 4. Two seasons ago, 23 players filed for arbitration, and last summer, that number dropped to 14 — a downward trend that continues this year.
As a reminder, not every player is expected to head to a hearing, as negotiations will continue leading into July 20. However, each player who elects for salary arbitration is now prohibited from negotiating with other teams or signing an offer sheet.
Penguins Acquire Connor Clifton, Pick 39 From Sabres
The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired defenseman Connor Clifton and the 39th-overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for defenders Conor Timmins and Isaac Belliveau.
On the surface, this move comes as quite a surprise, with Buffalo sending a high second-round pick and veteran depth defender for two options that don’t seem assured in the NHL. Clifton joined the Sabres on a three-year, $9.99MM contract last summer. He appeared in 73 games with the club this season, and recorded a fairly moot one goal, 16 points, 45 penalty minutes, and minus-six. It was the first year that Clifton recorded minimal scoring and a negative plus-minus since the 2021-22 season, when he managed 10 points and a minus-two in 60 games with the Boston Bruins. He offered the Sabres a hefty, physical upside this season but wasn’t able to use that to command play on either side of the puck with much confidence.
It’s that fact that could make this a lucrative deal for the Sabres. Timmins appeared in 68 games this season, split between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Penguins. It was the first fully healthy season of his NHL career, after he spent the previous five years battling through routine injury or assignments to the minor leagues. With health back on his side, Timmins chipped in 15 points, 30 penalty minutes, and a plus-11 across the full season – a statline that doesn’t fall too far shy of what Clifton achieved in Buffalo. Those marks bring Timmins’ career totals up to 46 points, 64 penalty minutes, and a plus-21 in 159 games. He’s already appeared in games with four different clubs, including the Colorado Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes. He’ll now head to a sixth club with a wave of health, and look to take a full stride forward in what’s sure to be an important role in Buffalo.
Buffalo will also add minor-league prospect Belliveau in this move. The physical 6-foot-2 defender was once a highly-regarded draft prospect, though he fell to the fifth round of the 2021 NHL Draft following the QMJHL’s shortened season. He seemed to outperform that draft slot quickly, with double-digit goals and positive plus-minuses in each of his final two seasons in juniors — but Belliveau has struggled to carry his impact into the pro flight. He’s spent the last two seasons predominantly in the ECHL, recording 38 points in 70 games last season and 16 points in 25 games this year. He was also rewarded 22 appearances in the AHL this season, where he managed seven points and a plus-six. Belliveau is a responsible defensive-defenseman who plays well above his 185-pound frame. He’s imposing in the corners and uses his stick to shut down opponents. But with slow feet and the need for more jump, his projection to the NHL could be a long road. The Sabres will hope that their bet on Timmins pays off, as it will be the clear focal point of this deal.
Maple Leafs Acquire Brandon Carlo In Three-Team Trade With Bruins, Penguins
7:15 PM: The Bruins announced their portion of the trade, confirming that they received Minten, a 2026 first-round pick (top-five protected), and a 2025 fourth-round selection for Carlo.
2:11 PM: The Maple Leafs have acquired defenseman Brandon Carlo from the Bruins, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports. The Leafs are sending center prospect Fraser Minten to the Bruins, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff adds it’s a three-team deal with the Penguins, who are receiving defenseman Conor Timmins and forward Connor Dewar from Toronto. The Leafs are sending a first-round pick to Boston in the deal as well, per Seravalli. Pittsburgh is sending a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Leafs in exchange for Timmins and Dewar, per the Maple Leafs. Additionally, Boston has retained 15 percent of Carlo’s $4.1MM salary, shares Joshua Kloke of The Athletic.
Through the mix of a three-team deal and hurdles over the cap space, Toronto lands an impactful shutdown defenseman in Carlo. He’s six-foot-five, 220
pounds and offers an invaluable right-hand shot. Those traits helped Carlo stamp out a daily lineup role almost immediately upon entering the league in 2016-17. Boston drafted Carlo in the second-round of the 2015 NHL Draft and promoted him to the pros at the end of the following season. He recorded just one assist in his first seven AHL games, but performed well enough at Boston’s following training camp to ditch the minor leagues entirely.
Carlo made the Bruins roster out of camp in the 2016-17 season. The team attempted to ease him into a lineup role, but one assist and a plus-five in 17 minutes of his NHL debut quickly showed Carlo’s impact would translate to the top flight. He was playing upwards of 24 minutes a night in just his third NHL game – and hung on to a top-pair role next to Bruins legend Zdeno Chara for the rest of his rookie season. Carlo managed 16 points, 59 penalty minutes, and a plus-nine while playing in all 82 games of his rookie year.
The top-pair conditioning continued to pay off through the next three seasons. Carlo never posted much scoring – netting his career-high of 19 points in 2019-20 – but he continued to average at least 20 minutes of ice time, on the pack of an imposing defensive presence. His role has dwindled in the years since, but his impact remains impressively consistent. Even through this season, the 28-year-old Carlo has managed nine points, 24 PIMs, and a plus-two in 63 games.
Toronto could confidently turn towards Carlo for top-pair minutes for the remainder of the season. He’ll be a shining replacement for the injured Chris Tanev, who Toronto placed on injured reserve on March 2nd. When Tanev returns, Toronto will boast a pair of high-impact, low-scoring defensive-defenseman on the right side – complimenting the more offensively-geared Morgan Rielly and Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the left.
Carlo is notably signed through the end of the 2026-27 season at a manageable $3.485MM cap hit after Boston’s retention.
While the Leafs sort of their sudden heap of defensive talent, Boston will relish in the addition of a clear top prospect in Fraser Minten. Minten made the Maple Leafs roster out of camp to start the season, and recorded four points – split evenly – across the first 15 games of his NHL career.
Minten was assigned to the AHL to start the season but quickly made Toronto second-guess their decision. He was called up to the NHL in mid-November after posting four points in five games to start the AHL season. Minten continued the hot scoring into his first taste of NHL action, netting four points across his first five NHL games of the season. His scoring dried up after that – with no scoring in his last 10 NHL games – but Minten has stayed productive in the minor leagues, where he has 13 points in 26 games.
This is Minten’s first season of professional hockey. He spent the last four seasons with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers and, briefly, Saskatoon Blades. Minten totaled 188 points in 187 career games in the WHL, including 55 points in 67 games of the 2021-22 campaign. That was enough to earn him a second-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft – a divisive pick at the time. Minten also earned the honor of captaining Team Canada at the 2024 World Junior Championships, where he scored three points in five games. It was his first time representing Canada internationally.
Minten is still working on figuring out his pro footing but he’ll offer tantalizing upside once he’s level. He’s an impactful two-way centerman who is strong on the faceoff dot and smart with his positioning. Those traits could be tailor-made for a Bruins organization that’s already developed Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle into strong, top-six options.
The deal is rounded out by Toronto sending depth skaters Dewar and Timmins to the Penguins as a cap dump. That addition frees up $2.28MM in cap space for the Leafs, which will effectively be their only cap space for the remainder of the year. Both Dewar and Timmins could find a path to routine minutes for Pittsburgh, where they’ll play under former Leafs GM Kyle Dubas.
Dewar has served as Toronto’s fourth-line center for much of the year but has been fairly low-event. He has just three assists, five penalty minutes, and a minus-three through 31 appearances. That’s a far step down from the 19 points, 28 PIMs, and minus-eight he totaled in 74 games last season, split between time with the Minnesota Wild and Maple Leafs. He’s found a groove as a gritty, hard-nosed bottom-line option – which should fit right in with the makeup of Pittsburgh’s current fourth line. Dewar will challenge Blake Lizotte for routine ice time, but could be pushed to the flanks to challenge Bokondji Imama or Noel Acciari should Pittsburgh prefer to keep Lizotte in.
Timmins has landed in a similar rut. He’s been a bottom-pair option for the Leafs, with eight points, 24 PIMs, and a plus-two in 51 games this season. That is also a downtick in scoring form the 10 points Timmins managed in 25 games last year, and the 14 points he posted in 25 games of 2022-23. Pittsburgh has been searching for more defense depth after trading away Marcus Pettersson. Timmins could find a way into the vacant role, though he’ll first compete with Ryan Graves and newcomer Vladislav Kolyachonok for minutes.
Both Dewar and Timmins are set to enter restricted free agency this summer.
Snapshots: Zegras, Cozens, Timmins, Shine
Ducks forward Trevor Zegras has been in trade speculation dating back to last season, a year in which he struggled and battled injuries. That speculation isn’t going away as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (video link) Anaheim is still listening to offers for the 23-year-old. Unfortunately for them, Zegras has also battled injuries this season and has struggled when in the lineup. A year ago, he had six goals and nine assists in 31 games, numbers that were underwhelming for a two-time 60-plus-point player. However, that also happens to be his stat line so far this season which can’t help his value. Zegras is signed through next season at a $5.75MM price tag and will be a restricted free agent with salary arbitration rights in the 2026 offseason. Given his struggles, Anaheim may have to sell low if they opt to move him before March 7th or hope for a better market in the summer.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- Sabres center Dylan Cozens did not take part in practice today with what head coach Lindy Ruff called a lower-body aggravation, notes team reporter Jourdon LaBarber. His status for Saturday’s game against Nashville is up in the air as a result. It has been a quiet year for Cozens who has 10 goals and 16 assists in 53 games, numbers that are underwhelming for one of their top-paid forwards which has resulted in plenty of trade speculation.
- Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins won’t play on Thursday against Seattle due to an upper-body injury sustained on Tuesday versus Calgary, relays David Alter of The Hockey News. Timmins was able to return to the game last night but they’ve decided to shut him down at least for this next contest. The 26-year-old has a goal and six assists in 44 games this season while averaging 16:25 per night.
- The Red Wings announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned winger Dominik Shine to AHL Grand Rapids. Detroit signed the 31-year-old to a two-year, two-way deal last month, his first NHL contract which came on the heels of a strong first half with the Griffins that saw him record 32 points in 40 games. Shine got into four games with Detroit while being up with the big club, picking up an assist and four hits in a little under nine minutes a night of playing time.
Maple Leafs Move Calle Jarnkrok To LTIR, Activate Conor Timmins
The Toronto Maple Leafs have moved forward Calle Jarnkrok back to long-term injured reserve, once again with a hand injury – per CapFriendly. Jarnkrok suffered the injury in the team’s March 14th win over the Philadelphia Flyers, exiting early after falling awkwardly into the boards. He seemed to collide his head, shoulder, and lower arm with the boards, making it hard to determine the specifics of his injury. It’s also not clear if the injury relates to the broken knuckle Jarnkrok suffered in late January. That injury earned him a month-long stint on LTIR and forced him out of 13 games.
In a corresponding move, the Maple Leafs have also activated defenseman Conor Timmins off of LTIR. He’s been out since February 13th with mononucleosis. Timmins has also had a string of absences this season, with a lower-body injury delaying the start of his season until late November. Timmins has played in just 16 games this season, notching one goal, six points, eight penalty minutes, and a +5. Jarnkrok’s sidelining and Timmins’ activation were made ahead of Toronto’s Saturday night loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, though Timmins wasn’t rostered for the game.
The Leafs will need to change up their lineup once again, with Jarnkrok joining Mitch Marner sidelined with injury. The absences have earned Pontus Holmberg a top-six role next to Tyler Bertuzzi and Auston Matthews, while Nicholas Robertson has slotted back onto the third line after a brief stint out of the lineup. Both Holmberg and Robertson are still searching for their scoring groove this season, with just 13 and 20 points respectively. They will work with other depth forwards like Connor Dewar and Noah Gregor to try and keep Toronto red-hot, after the team has gone 16-5-1 in their last 22 games. Meanwhile, Timmins will add extended depth to a blue-line that recently acquired Ilya Lyubushkin and Joel Edmundson. They’ll have plenty of blue-liners to choose from, with Timmins and Simon Benoit operating as healthy scratches and Mark Giordano currently out with injury.