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.
Maple Leafs Acquire Joel Edmundson From Capitals
The Capitals and Maple Leafs have agreed on a trade to send left-shot defenseman Joel Edmundson from Washington to Toronto, per a team release. Two draft picks – the Islanders’ 2024 third-round pick and the Blackhawks’ 2025 fifth-round pick – are heading back to Washington in the deal. The Capitals are retaining 50% of Edmundson’s already-reduced $1.75MM cap hit, bringing his cap hit down to $875K for the Maple Leafs. In a corresponding transaction to create the cap space needed for the trade, the Maple Leafs moved defenseman Conor Timmins from injured reserve to long-term injured reserve, per CapFriendly.
Edmundson, 30, has slipped to a depth role this season and is a pending UFA. After picking up Ethan Bear on the free-agent market midseason led to a defensive logjam in Washington, Edmundson looked to be on his way out after failing to solidify top-four minutes in his first season with the Caps.
The Maple Leafs have been in the market for blue-line depth for weeks, and they weren’t done after acquiring Ilya Lyubushkin from the Ducks last week for his second stint with the team. For the past few days, they’ve been linked to Edmundson, who can play both left and right defense and stands at a hulking 6-foot-5 and 224 pounds.
Edmundson’s production and possession metrics don’t move the needle much. Still, he does carry a massive advantage in playoff experience over other Leafs blue-liners who have been in their bottom-pairing rotation as of late, like Maxime Lajoie and William Lagesson. He’s sitting on a goal and six points in 44 games this season, and the Manitoba native’s 16:26 average time on ice is the lowest in quite a while. His possession metrics don’t paint him as an extreme liability after a disastrous 2022-23 campaign with the Canadiens, posting a 1.2 relative CF% at even strength and 47.4 xGF% (per Hockey Reference). There were some better shutdown options on the market, though.
Over 521 career games with the Blues, Canadiens, Capitals, and Hurricanes, Edmundson has 29 goals, 81 assists, 110 points, and a +18 rating, averaging 18:30 per game. After winning the Stanley Cup with St. Louis in 2019 and spending the following season in Carolina, he signed a four-year, $14MM contract ($3.5MM cap hit) with Montreal that expires this summer. The Caps acquired him for a third-round and seventh-round pick last offseason, with Montreal retaining 50% of his cap hit. Since Edmundson’s contract had already been involved in a prior retained salary transaction, the Caps and Leafs could not have used a third party to retain additional salary in this trade.
He’s not afraid to use his body, blocking 822 shots and recording 979 hits throughout his nine-year career. However, that hasn’t translated into positive possession quality for Edmundson’s team with him on the ice. He’s recorded an xGF% above 50 twice in his career, not since 2021, when he reached the Stanley Cup Final with Montreal. Last season was an especially difficult campaign for him, recording 23 points in 61 games with a career-worst -29 rating and a 42.9 xGF%.
Edmundson now moves from one team with a defensive logjam to another. Lyubushkin has settled in nicely on a pairing with Morgan Rielly since his acquisition, meaning Edmundson, Timmins, Simon Benoit, Mark Giordano, and Timothy Liljegren will now all compete for the fifth and sixth spots on the Toronto blue line when everyone is healthy.
The Maple Leafs don’t have an open roster spot for Edmundson yet, although CapFriendly reports Lagesson has been removed from the active roster and will likely hit waivers at 1 p.m. CT.
Former NHL and AHL defenseman Jordan Schmaltz was first to report that Edmundson had been traded to Toronto.
Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic was first to report that the Capitals were retaining 50% of his cap hit.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report the return.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Atlantic Notes: White, Harvey-Pinard, Lindholm, Kampf, Timmins
Eric Engels of Sportsnet is reporting that the Montreal Canadiens have placed forward Colin White on the injured reserve, and have activated forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard from it. Earlier reporting suggested that White suffered an upper-body injury in practice, and is only considered day-to-day.
White originally joined the Canadiens organization via waiver claim on February 22nd, coming over from the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 16 games this season, five of which have been in Montreal, White has been unable to register any points so far. He has received more ice time with the Canadiens but is still receiving playing time in the bottom six nonetheless.
Harvey-Pinard, on the other hand, has had his season mired by injuries. With injury concerns limiting him to 24 games on the year, Harvey-Pinard has scored one goal and seven points for the Canadiens this season. Hoping for health moving forward, Montreal will be waiting to see if they can get back last year’s version of Harvey-Pinard, who scored 14 goals and 20 points in 36 games.
Other Atlantic notes:
- There is still no official timeline on the return of Boston Bruins’ defenseman Hampus Lindholm, but Conor Ryan of the Boston Globe is reporting that Lindholm is close to a return. Lindholm has been out for a little over a week with an upper-body injury which has marked his first significant injury since the 2021-22 season. Seeing a marketable decrease in his production this season, Lindholm has put up one goal and 19 points in 56 games for the Bruins this year.
- Absent from the team’s practice today, Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Kampf is reportedly out with an illness (X Link). The Maple Leafs do play against the Buffalo Sabres tomorrow night, and Kampf’s status is currently up in the air. In 47 games for Toronto this season, Kampf has produced at a respectable level, scoring five goals and 11 points overall.
- Sticking in Toronto, Mark Masters of TSN is reporting that defenseman Conor Timmins is back at practice for the first time since his mononucleosis diagnosis back in early February. It is undetermined when Timmins will be able to re-enter the lineup for the Maple Leafs, but he has scored one goal and six points in 16 games for Toronto already this season.
Snaphots: Zegras, Lajoie, Timmins
In a report from Eric Stephens of The Athletic, Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras has been off crutches for about a week and can return to the ice in a week or two. If the predicted time of his return is accurate, the Ducks may have a potential trade chip available for the March 8th trade deadline.
Over the last few months, Zegras has been mentioned in some trade rumors, especially after Anaheim parted ways with Jamie Drysdale earlier in January. Still, at only 22 years old, Zegras represents a viable second-line center option for many contending teams, as well as a potential long-term fit with a handful of rebuilding teams.
Outside of this season, Zegras has typically maintained a clean bill of health, averaging over 75 games in his first two full-time seasons in the NHL. Over four years with the Ducks, Zegras has played in a total of 200 games in Anaheim, scoring a total of 53 goals and 146 points in the process.
Other notes:
- Per a team announcement, the Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled defenseman Maxime Lajoie from their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. Primarily used as a depth defenseman in Toronto’s system this year, Lajoie has only played in seven games for the Maple Leafs this season, tallying one assist in total. With the Marlies this season, Lajoie has been much more productive, scoring two goals and 17 points in 31 games played.
- Sticking in Toronto, TSN’s Mark Masters reported that Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins is not quite cleared for contact yet, but can begin skating again. According to the report, Timmins is dealing with an internal injury, which has kept him from playing since January 24th. In the games that Timmins has been able to play in, he has scored one goal and six points from Toronto’s blue line.
Afternoon Notes: Eichel, Monahan, Liljegren, Timmins
Star Vegas Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel returned to the team’s practices today, donning a no-contact jersey. It’s his first appearance on the ice since January 11th, as Eichel has been facing a knee injury that required surgery. The injury earned him a spot on long-term injured reserve in mid February, though he’s missed enough games to be eligible to return. Now in a no-contact jersey, it seems Eichel is just awaiting clearance to resume contact and a full practice. The 27-year-old has joined Vegas on their current four-game road trip across the Atlantic Division, which will feature a matchup against Eichel’s former Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. It’s not yet clear if he’ll be able to play in that matchup, though his return to practice suggests he’ll return soon.
Eichel’s return will illicit a big sigh of relief from Vegas’ top brass. The team recently lost star winger Mark Stone to a lacerated spleen that earned him a spot on injured reserve. Vegas is also down William Carrier, Brett Howden, and Pavel Dorofeyev – forcing the club to lean on depth options like Brendan Brisson, Byron Froese, and Sheldon Rempal.
In Eichel, Vegas is getting back their only player still scoring at, or above, a point-per-game pace. Eichel has 19 goals and 44 points through 42 games this season, while leading the team’s forwards in ice time. The Golden Knights will hope he can quickly bounce back to the role of lineup star and save them from the 1-4-1 stretch they find themselves on.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Winnipeg Jets are expecting Sean Monahan to slot back into the lineup, after missing the team’s Sunday game with illness, per team reporter Scott Billeck with the Winnipeg Sun. Monahan has played in eight games since being traded to the Winnipeg Jets, scoring five points but still searching for his first assist. The scoring brings Monahan’s totals up to 40 points in 57 games this season – the most he’s scored since the 2019-20 season.
- Timothy Liljegren is slated to miss the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Tuesday night game against the Vegas Golden Knights with an undisclosed injury, per head coach Sheldon Keefe. Keefe added that Liljegren got banged up in the team’s Saturday game against the Colorado Avalanche, with Liljegren leaving the bench later into the third period. The 24-year-old defenseman has 16 points across 40 games this season.
- Conor Timmins has returned to skating, though he’s not yet cleared to skate with the team, per team reporter David Alter. Timmins has been out since January 24th with mononucleosis. It’s another halt in Timmins’ season, which kicked off with a lower-body injury that held him out until late November. He’s since sat out due to being a healthy scratch and dealing with illness. Timmins, 25, has six points in 16 games this season.
Maple Leafs’ Conor Timmins Out Indefinitely With Mono
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins has contracted mono and is out indefinitely, head coach Sheldon Keefe tells team reporter David Alter. Timmins started the season out on season-opening injured reserve after suffering a lower-body injury in a pre-season game against the Montreal Canadiens. The absence held him out until late November. He’s since appeared in 16 games and scored six points.
Timmins is running into tough luck this season, again facing the likelihood of playing minimal games. The 25-year-old played in 27 games last year – the second-most he’s appeared in one NHL season. He scored two goals and 14 points, both career-highs, while also appearing in six AHL games and scoring three points. Timmins was originally drafted 32nd overall in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche. He kicked off a second round that featured plenty of current NHL talents, including Nicolas Hague, Jason Robertson, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. He made his NHL debut with Colorado in the 2019-20 season and played through his rookie season in 2020-21, scoring seven assists through 31 games. He didn’t score his first NHL goal until his 2022-23 season in Toronto.
Keefe also shared with Alter that Mark Giordano and David Kampf should make their return on Tuesday. This gives the team some relief in Timmins’ absence, though Giordano has managed just one goal and six points through 34 games this season. He’s averaging just 17 minutes of ice time each game, his lowest average since the 2008-09 season. The 40-year-old defenseman has amassed 1136 career NHL games and 574 career points.
Maple Leafs Notes: Giordano, Kämpf, Timmins
David Alter of The Hockey News is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano returned to team practice today after missing Saturday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators. The 40-year-old lined up on Toronto’s third defensive pairing alongside William Lagesson.
Giordano suffered a lower-body injury last Wednesday in a game against the Dallas Stars and took some time off to recover. Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters today that the team will see how Giordano is feeling tomorrow morning before deciding on whether or not he will play tomorrow night against the St. Louis Blues.
Giordano has a goal and five assists in 34 games this season and hasn’t registered a point in his past 12 games.
In other Maple Leafs notes:
- David Alter is also reporting that Maple Leafs forward David Kämpf will likely return for tomorrow night’s game against the Blues. Kämpf is currently on the injured reserve with an undisclosed injury but will be activated prior to game time if he is good to go in the morning. The 29-year-old hasn’t played since January 27th and has had a disappointing campaign thus far with just four goals and four assists in 46 games.
- Alter is also reporting that Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins will miss tomorrow night’s game with an illness. It will be the fifth game in a row that the St. Catharines, Ontario native has missed as he has appeared in just 16 games this season for Toronto. The 25-year-old had an appointment today to plan a path going forward as he tries to get back into the lineup. Timmins has dressed in just three games since Christmas and could certainly give the Maple Leafs a boost, especially with Morgan Reilly awaiting supplemental discipline.
Snapshots: Giordano, Timmins, Romanov, Ristolainen
In tonight’s Battle of Ontario, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be without a few notable defensemen as David Alter of The Hockey News reports that Mark Giordano will be out with a lower-body injury, and Conor Timmins is out with an illness. Alter did point out that Giordano is listed as day-to-day, but could be out longer as the injury was sustained in the team’s most recent game on Wednesday.
This news likely means that either William Lagesson or Maxime Lajoie will draw into the lineup this evening, with the latter having been recalled on an emergency loan yesterday. Of the two, Lagesson has certainly had more opportunity at the NHL level, playing in 21 games for the Maple Leafs this season compared to four for Lajoie.
Whatever the case may be, the depth of Toronto’s defensive core will be tested during their matchup tonight against the Ottawa Senators. Although his production has fallen significantly since his Norris Trophy-winning season of 2018-19, Giordano has been more than reliable for the Maple Leafs this season, scoring one goal and six points in 34 games, averaging just over 17 minutes of ice time per game.
Other snapshots:
- The New York Islanders will be without defenseman Alexander Romanov this afternoon, as the team announced he is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Not much of an offensive threat from the blue line, Romanov has nevertheless been solid for the Islanders this season, skating alongside Noah Dobson at the top of the team’s defensive core. In 51 games for New York this year, Romanov has scored five goals and 13 points, producing a +15 rating while averaging over 22 minutes of ice time per game.
- Rasmus Ristolainen will be back in the lineup tonight for the Philadelphia Flyers after missing the team’s last game due to illness (X Link). Struggling to live up to his relatively large contract in Philadelphia, Ristolainen has only skated in 30 games for the Flyers this season, missing much of the beginning of the season with an undisclosed injury. Averaging the lowest time on ice of his career up to this point, Ristolainen has scored one goal and four points for Philadelphia this year.
Conor Timmins Fined For Cross-Checking
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced today that the league fined Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins for his cross-check on Seattle Kraken forward Brandon Tanev in yesterday’s game. The 25-year-old was ordered to pay $2,864.58 for his penalty which is the maximum amount allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The incident happened early in the game when Timmins cross-checked Tanev below the numbers, causing the Kraken forward to crash into the end boards behind the Toronto net. Tanev jumped up to his feet to try and fight Timmins, but Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit stepped in for Timmins and received a two-minute minor for roughing along with Tanev. Timmins received a two-minute minor for his infraction which left Seattle with a power play that they did not score on.
Timmins has had a difficult time staying in the Maple Leafs lineup this season as he has dressed in just two of Toronto’s last 15 games. While he has been a healthy scratch recently, he also missed almost all of October and November with a lower-body injury. When he has dressed, he’s been a good offensive defenseman having posted a goal and five assists in just 15 games.
The money from Timmins’ fine will go to the Player Emergency Assistance Fund.