Leafs cause some confusion around the defensive pairings for tonight's game in Detroit
After knocking off the New Jersey Devils, Minnesota Wild and Pittsburgh Penguins, the Leafs will take a 3-game win streak into Detroit on Monday night, a roster move announced by the Leafs on Monday is causing some confusion over tonight's pairings.
According to CapFriendly, the Leafs have assigned Victor Mete to the AHL's Toronto Marlies, which may have indicated that we were likely to see 24-year-old Conor Timmins make his Leafs debut against the Red Wings.
The Leafs acquired Timmins in a deal with the Arizona Coyotes last week to address a pretty glaring need on the blueline with injuries to Jake Muzzin, Morgan Rielly and T.J. Brodie. Timmins, a former 32nd overall pick, was highly touted before injuries derailed his career during some key developmental years. Leafs GM Kyle Dubas confirmed that before the team pulled the trigger on a deal, they were able to confirm that Timmins is 100% healthy and ready to go.
However, when the Leafs took to the ice for the morning skate in Detroit, their pairings had not changed and Timmins remained the extra defenseman, meaning that Mete may have simply been a paper transaction.
Naturally, until Sheldon Keefe speaks after practice, we won't know what Timmins' status for tonight's game is. The coaching staff seems to want to take the more patient approach with Timmins to ensure that he learns the systems and is comfortable with his teammates before deploying him in a game setting. Sheldon Keefe talked last week about wanting to set him up for success.
Perhaps this is just another case of the Leafs having some fun at the media's expense and creating some confusion on game day.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 28 | 160 ANSWERS Leafs cause some confusion around the defensive pairings for tonight's game in Detroit Will Conor Timmins record a point when he finally makes his Leafs' debut? | ||
| Yes | 70 | 43.8 % |
| No | 90 | 56.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
