Leafs' Timmins expected to be sidelined long-term
The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to be without defenceman Conor Timmins for a significant period of time.
Timmins was hurt in the third period after taking a hit from Montreal Canadiens forward Tanner Pearson and didn’t return to the game. Maple Leafs fans were forced to hold their breath, as the 25-year-old defenceman has looked excellent in camp thus far. Unfortunately, it sounds like he is going to miss a significant amount of time.
“Not just the camp he has had, he has worked incredibly hard,” said head coach Sheldon Keefe. “To have a setback is tough news for him and for us.”
The Maple Leafs acquired Timmins last November in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes, sending Curtis Douglas back the other way. Despite struggling to earn a role with the Coyotes, Timmins quickly impressed the Leafs coaching staff. He suited up for 25 games after the trade, recording two goals and 14 points while averaging slightly less than 16 minutes in ice time.
The exact injury for Timmins has yet to be determined, but Keefe said he will soon be undergoing an MRI to get a timeline figured out. The timing couldn’t be worse for the Leafs, who were already dealing with an injury to another right-shot defenceman in John Klingberg.
It wasn’t all bad news for the Leafs on Friday night, as they were able to defeat the Canadiens by a 2-1 final. Matthew Knies and Mikko Kokkonen scored, while PTO attendee Noah Gregor was able to chip in with an assist. In net, Ilya Samsonov kicked aside all 17 shots he faced in 40 minutes of action, while Keith Petruzzelli allowed one goal on five shots in the 20 minutes he played.
The Leafs will be back in action again tonight, as they play the Habs for the second straight evening. Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm ET.
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