Leafs' projected lines point to one player potentially being phased out
After rebounding against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday with a 4-1 win, the Toronto Maple Leafs return to action tonight following the Christmas break against the Ottawa Senators. The Leafs took to the ice with a full practice this morning since they had not skated since Saturday.
Based on the line rushes at practice, there are no changes to the forward group, even though head coach Sheldon Keefe hinted at making a change to Max Domi's line before the break. Pontus Holmberg remained the thirteenth forward which means the fourth line of David Kampf, Bobby McMann and Noah Gregor also remained unchanged.
On the blueline, ahead of Saturday's game, Conor Timmins was made a healthy scratch in favour of William Lagesson. Lagesson was paired with Simon Benoit on the third pairing for Saturday's game and they remained together at practice this morning. That means that Timmins will be a healthy scratch for the second straight game as he seems to have fallen out of favour with Keefe.
Following a stellar pre-season that was cut short due to injury, the Leafs had been hoping that Timmins would be able to pick up where he left off before his injury. Unfortunately, that has not happened as he has been unable to correct his repeated defensive miscues.
Timmins was a minus -4 in the Leafs' 9-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres last week, which amplified his struggles defensively. While he had five points in his last seven games, he saw his ice time against Buffalo cut by over five minutes to just 12:29 from 17:50 in his previous game. The Leafs knew that Timmins was a project of sorts when they acquired him, but I don't think they or anyone expected him to be this much of a project defensively.
One has to wonder if Timmins is beginning to be phased out in Toronto. With the return of Mark Giordano looking fairly imminent, and after seemingly being leapfrogged by both Benoit and Lagesson on the depth chart, it's entirely possible that Timmins could be traded to recoup a draft pick or packaged in a deal to upgrade on the blueline.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 27 | 703 ANSWERS Leafs' projected lines point to one player potentially being phased out What should the Maple Leafs do with Conor Timmins? | ||
| Trade him to recoup a draft pick | 102 | 14.5 % |
| Play him, he's very good offensively | 118 | 16.8 % |
| Keep him as an insurance option on the blueline | 192 | 27.3 % |
| Trade him in a package for an upgrade on D | 291 | 41.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
