I find myself in a situation where I really don&#8217;t want to see Conor Timmins scratched ever again. He looks like he could be on the verge of being a special player, much like how he looked in his draft year before spending the next half decade having his career derailed by injuries.
Early in the second period, Timmins got the ultimate payoff, that always special first NHL goal:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
🚨 FIRST OF HIS CAREER FOR TIMMINS 🚨 <a href="https://t.co/rlS1wK7oxp">pic.twitter.com/rlS1wK7oxp</a>
&mdash; Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) <a href="https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1612257180081860608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The goal was assisted by Marner and Tavares, who was quick to retrieve the puck for the young defenseman.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Tavares gets the puck for Timmins <a href="https://t.co/yidNrbnYd5">pic.twitter.com/yidNrbnYd5</a>
&mdash; Omar (@TicTacTOmar) <a href="https://twitter.com/TicTacTOmar/status/1612257093742112768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The game isn&#8217;t over yet, but with his goal and assist this game, Timmins now has 10 points in 12 games as a Maple Leaf. Not a bad total for someone who is essentially a depth defenseman (at this point).
The question now becomes how do the Leafs give Timmins more of a look. With the Leafs blueline healthy, or healthyish there is going to be a challenge in finding a spot for him. There is the potential to load manage Mark Giordano a bit more, but that only gets you so far. And there is also the matter of the Leafs wanting to get Jordie Benn back into their lineup as well as he was proving himself to be a solid option for them too.
It doesn&#8217;t seem like defense should be the same level of priority for the Leafs heading into the trade deadline as initially advertised.
Meanwhile Curtis Douglas has 4 points in 14 games for the Tucson Roadrunners.

I find myself in a situation where I really don't want to see Conor Timmins scratched ever again. He looks like he could be on the verge of being a special player, much like how he looked in his draft year before spending the next half decade having his career derailed by injuries.

Early in the second period, Timmins got the ultimate payoff, that always special first NHL goal:

https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1612257180081860608

The goal was assisted by Marner and Tavares, who was quick to retrieve the puck for the young defenseman.

https://twitter.com/TicTacTOmar/status/1612257093742112768

The game isn't over yet, but with his goal and assist this game, Timmins now has 10 points in 12 games as a Maple Leaf. Not a bad total for someone who is essentially a depth defenseman (at this point).

The question now becomes how do the Leafs give Timmins more of a look. With the Leafs blueline healthy, or healthyish there is going to be a challenge in finding a spot for him. There is the potential to load manage Mark Giordano a bit more, but that only gets you so far. And there is also the matter of the Leafs wanting to get Jordie Benn back into their lineup as well as he was proving himself to be a solid option for them too.

It doesn't seem like defense should be the same level of priority for the Leafs heading into the trade deadline as initially advertised.

Meanwhile Curtis Douglas has 4 points in 14 games for the Tucson Roadrunners.

Conor Timmins scores his first NHL goal in his return to the Maple Leafs lineup

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