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Maple Leafs’ Conor Timmins Out Indefinitely With Mono

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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

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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.

Kraken Receiving Interest In Jordan Eberle, Alexander Wennberg

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The Kraken are receiving interest from multiple teams regarding winger Jordan Eberle and center Alexander Wennberg ahead of the March 8 trade deadline, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports.

Both players are again top-six fixtures for Seattle, who have yo-yoed their way in and out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference all season long. They’re pending UFAs with hefty cap hits of $5.5MM and $4.5MM, respectively, but the Kraken have all three salary retention spots open and could keep money on the books for the rest of the season to facilitate a deal if they do intend on selling at the deadline.

The Oilers have already been linked to Eberle in their pursuit of a complementary top-six winger, with Pagnotta reporting another one of his former teams, the Islanders, as well as the Maple Leafs, have demonstrated interest. The Bruins and Avalanche have called about Wennberg, who’s one of the few quality centers remaining on the deadline rental market.

Whether the Kraken will decide to sell off assets at the deadline is an entirely different question. A recent 3-6-1 stretch now has them six points out of playoff position, but there’s still a shot for Seattle to squeak in for their second consecutive playoff appearance. With a quickly aging group still comprised primarily of expansion draft selections, however, they’d likely do well to recoup value for some veterans and retool around Vince Dunn, Matthew Beniers, and Jared McCann.

Eberle would presumably fetch more value than Wennberg, and rightfully so. He’s having a down season in the goals department – just nine in 49 games, but his 28 points are fifth on the team, and he leads all Kraken players in even-strength Corsi share. He’s been their best two-way skater this season – not just forward – and with eight 20-goal seasons under his belt, he carries immense breakout potential if paired with the skill level of a contending team’s top six.

Thus, a reunion with Edmonton makes the most sense out of the three teams listed. There’s no better breakout potential for Eberle at right wing than alongside Leon Draisaitl on the Oilers’ second unit, and he could do wonders for Draisaitl-anchored lines that have struggled defensively without Connor McDavid.

Wennberg is more of a depth add than an impact pickup for a contender – he’s likely not suited for anything above a third-line role on a team with contending aspirations. He has leveraged major minutes since joining Seattle, logging 18:23 per game over the last three seasons.

Like Eberle, he’s struggled on the scoresheet with eight goals and 21 points in 51 games. Unlike Eberle, he’s shooting above his career average and has some of the worst possession metrics on the Kraken – only Brandon Tanev has a worse Corsi share at even strength among full-time members. His expected -3.6 rating is the worst on the team, and he’s won less than 50% of his faceoffs for the 10th time in 10 NHL seasons. As such, he’s likely a complement to the Bruins’ and Avs’ cast of middle-six centers that lack punch, not a significant upgrade. Even at a half-retained $2.25MM cap hit, his disappointing season might be too much to swallow and a third team may need to retain another 50% of his salary to facilitate a trade.

Maple Leafs Reassign Maxime Lajoie

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  • The Maple Leafs returned left defenseman Maxime Lajoie to AHL Toronto from his emergency loan on Monday, according to CapFriendly. Lajoie was rostered for Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the Senators but was a healthy scratch, as he has been eight other times this season for Toronto. The 26-year-old was brought up in case all three Maple Leafs defensemen who were questionable for Saturday’s loss were unable to play, but only Mark Giordano and Conor Timmins were ruled out of the contest due to a lower-body injury and an illness, respectively. Lajoie has averaged 9:31 per game in his four showings with Toronto this year and has two goals, 15 assists, 17 points, and a +5 rating in 31 AHL games. The 2016 Ottawa draft pick is in his first season with the Maple Leafs after signing a one-year, two-way deal worth $775K in the NHL and $450K in the AHL in free agency.

Rielly's In-Person Hearing Will Be Tuesday

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  • In a follow-up announcement to their offer of an in-person hearing to Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly for his cross-check on Ridly Greig on Saturday, the Department of Player Safety announced (Twitter link) that Rielly accepted the offer and that the hearing will be held on Tuesday afternoon in New York. Considering Toronto plays on Tuesday night, a decision on the length of his suspension will need to be made fairly quickly after the hearing.

Morgan Rielly Offered In-Person Hearing For Cross-Checking

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The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has offered Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly an in-person hearing for cross-checking Senators center Ridly Greig in the closing seconds of Saturday’s game, per an announcement Sunday. With an in-person hearing, DoPS now has the option to issue Rielly a suspension in excess of five games.

The play in question occurred with seconds remaining in the contest after Greig scored an empty-net goal via a slap shot, increasing Ottawa’s lead to 5-3. During his celebration, Rielly approached Greig and cross-checked him in the face, causing him to fall to the ice. Rielly was assessed a match penalty on the play.

Rielly, 30 next month, had five points in his last four games before facing a potential long-term absence. He has never been fined nor suspended in his 11-year, 769-game career. Toronto’s longest-tenured player is second on the team in assists (36) and fourth in points (43) through 50 games and is logging a career-high 24:21 per game.

Any long-term absence for Rielly puts serious strain on the Maple Leafs’ defense at a critical point in the season as they jockey for playoff positioning. The team’s only true depth puck-moving option not currently in the lineup, right-shot defenseman Conor Timmins, has played just 16 games this season and is currently sidelined with an illness. If neither Timmins nor the currently-injured Mark Giordano can play Tuesday against the Blues with Rielly out, Maxime Lajoie would draw into the lineup, and Timothy Liljegren would likely become the team’s top power play option.

 

Mark Giordano Out With Lower-Body Injury, Conor Timmins Out With Illness

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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.

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Maple Leafs Among Many Teams Interested In Maxim Tsyplakov

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Maxim Tsyplakov is having a career year in the KHL and saying he has caught the eye of some NHL teams would be putting it lightly.  Tsyplakov’s agent Alexander Chernykh told The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke that at least a dozen NHL teams have expressed an interest in signing the winger for next season.  He confirmed that the Maple Leafs are among those teams pursuing Tsyplakov.

The 25-year-old had a bounce-back season in 2022-23, picking up 25 points in 63 games with Spartak Moscow.  However, Tsyplakov has found another gear this season, lighting the lamp 30 times already while chipping in with 15 assists in 58 contests while logging nearly 18 minutes a night.  His goal total is tied for the third-highest in the KHL this season behind former NHLers Reid Boucher and Nikolay Goldobin.

Standing 6’3, Tsyplakov is also able to play with some physicality which would help him potentially fit in on a lower line to start next season as it’s rare that an undrafted free agent would jump into an NHL top six right away.  Kloke notes that Toronto also discussed the possibility of trying to play Tsyplakov at center which would certainly increase his value if he’s able to do so consistently.

Tsyplakov is still subject to entry-level regulations so wherever he signs, it will be a one-year, two-way contract with an NHL salary worth less than $1MM.  Considering the level of interest expressed so far, it stands to reason that he should be able to secure some performance bonuses which are capped as well.  Most teams will make the same offer so it will be up to Tsyplakov to determine the best fit, especially since he’d be arbitration-eligible following next season.

Unlike pending NHL free agents, KHL contracts expire at the end of April so Tsyplakov will be eligible to sign at that time.  With the interest he has already received, there’s a good chance it won’t take long for him to sign when the calendar turns to May.

Maple Leafs Open To Moving Nicholas Robertson

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  • Nicholas Robertson has popped up in recent trade chatter and the Maple Leafs are believed to be willing to move the winger, reports The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta. The 22-year-old has managed to stay healthy this season, resulting in him playing in a career-best 31 games where he has seven goals and seven assists.  However, Robertson hasn’t been able to lock down a full-time spot in Toronto’s lineup.  Considering his offensive success at the lower levels, it stands to reason that several rebuilding teams would have some interest in seeing if Robertson can take a step forward with a new organization.

Maple Leafs Recall Maxime Lajoie

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The Maple Leafs recalled defenseman Maxime Lajoie from AHL Toronto on Friday, per the team’s public relations department.

Toronto’s 23 active roster slots are all full, so a corresponding move must happen for the recall to be registered with the league. It’s unclear whether that will come in the form of an injured reserve placement or another move, such as a trade. The Hockey News’ David Alter reports center David Kämpf may be heading to IR to create space for Lajoie.

Kämpf, 29, has not played since the All-Star break with an undisclosed injury and is expected to miss at least one more game. He will be eligible to come off IR at any time.

For now, the Maple Leafs will have only 12 forwards and nine defensemen on the active roster. The lopsided totals won’t last long – veterans Jake McCabe and Mark Giordano were absent from practice yesterday for maintenance, so Lajoie comes up in the worst-case scenario that both are ruled out for Saturday’s game against the Senators.

The 26-year-old has four appearances with Toronto this year, last suiting up in the NHL in December. He’s averaged just 9:32 per game and has no shots on goal, although he does have a respectable 52.5% Corsi share at even strength in his limited minutes.

Lajoie will be a restricted free agent upon completion of his one-year, two-way deal this summer. Through 31 AHL games with the Marlies, he has two goals and 17 points with a +5 rating.

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