Last week, I talked about three Maple Leafs players who weren’t performing to par, but I left one name off the list. Of course, when you only mention three players, you’re making some sacrifices here, but it was one name I regret not including.
And before you ask, no, that player isn’t Oliver Ekman-Larsson, even if he’s done himself no favors this season. Instead, I wanted to talk about another blueliner for the Leafs: Conor Timmins.
I wasn’t thrilled with the organization bringing in Ekman-Larsson, but giving Timmins more of a role this season was also ticky-tacky, to be frank. But, I also understood it, as the Leafs needed to beef up its defense with some experienced blueliners like Ekman Larsson and Chris Tanev, and they also needed to see what they had in someone like Timmins.
But, Timmins hasn’t impressed me one iota, next to the fact he can block a lot of shots. So far, he’s gotten in front of 40 of them prior to the Leafs matchup with the Sabres, and there’s a chance he’ll get at least 40 more.
Maple Leafs also have an issue with Conor Timmins
A defensive defenseman through and through whose positioning has been more of a thing than his physicality, Timmins isn’t one to put points on the board. Still, he’s got a respectable six so far this season with a plus-minus of eight, which is tied for second on the team. Plus, he’s got an on-ice save percentage of 95.7 this season. So, what’s the issue?
For me, it’s the overall drop-off. Timmins, through his first 28 games this season, had only been on the ice for 15 goals at even strength. Compare that to 24 in 25 games with the Leafs last season, and 19 in 25 the year before. He also attained an on-ice shooting percentage of 11.4 and 11.5, respectively, in those two seasons, as opposed to just 7.6 this year.
Further, he hasn’t been helping the Leafs create as many chances, with just a Corsi For of 50.9, which is a 6.1 drop-off so far from last season. Overall, these numbers show me Timmins has been one-dimensional, and that’s something a team that’s 23rd in goals for so far this season before tonight’s matchup with the Sabres doesn’t need.
Right now, Timmins is averaging a modest 16:55 of average total ice time, but I would take that number down to something around 15:00 to 15:30. Until he shows more creativity here while the Leafs have the puck, they need to get players who are more likely to create chances that will lead to goals.