The Arizona Coyotes announced a trade Wednesday afternoon. The club has reportedly sent defenseman Conor Timmins to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forward prospect Curtis Douglas.
Timmins was originally acquired from the Colorado Avalanche last year as part of the Darcy Kuemper deal. That trade sent the now Stanley Cup-winning netminder to the Avs in exchange for Timmins, a conditional 2022 1st round pick (which the Yotes used to select Reid Schaefer 32nd overall) and a conditional 3rd round pick in 2024.
Timmins had been yoyoing between the AHL and the NHL for the Coyotes this season, appearing in only two games for the big club and recording zero points. He has a total of three assists and a +2 rating in six games this season for the Coyote’s AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.
Timmins was originally the 32nd overall pick in the 2017 draft by Colorado, who had hopes that he could be a regular contributor on the Avs blue line. Unfortunately, injuries and concussion issues derailed Timmins’s development and he was never able to regularly crack the lineup. His longest stint in the NHL was 32 games for Colorado last season before being shipped off to Arizona.
Injuries are a major concern for Conor Timmins. A concussion cost him an entire season and a knee injury kept him out most of last year.
— Kyle Cushman (@Kyle_Cush) November 23, 2022
But his only extended NHL stint was a promising one, back in 20-21 with Colorado as a 22-year-old. pic.twitter.com/TPRAyCcjhS
Toronto’s interest in Timmins likely came from the news that Morgan Rielly is going to be sidelined for significant time with a knee injury. Rielly sustained the injury just days ago in a game against the New York Islanders. Toronto placed Rielly on Long Term Injured Reserve yesterday, which means he will miss a minimum of 10 games and 24 days.
Toronto’s blue line was already banged up after Jake Muzzin suffered a potentially career-ending cervical spine injury. The injury to Rielly meant the Leafs needed to shore up their defensive depth while also staying cap compliant. Timmins’s $850,000 salary cap hit fits the bill, as did the relatively low asking price from the Coyotes.
Leafs fans, look away. 😬
— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) November 22, 2022
Morgan Rielly lands on LTIR with a knee injury. pic.twitter.com/spDLeUz92y
So, what exactly did Arizona get in return? Curtis Douglas was originally a 4th round pick by the Dallas Stars back in 2018. The 22-year-old Ontario native is a left-handed center who stands at a massive 6’9” and weighs in at an equally impressive 248 lbs. In 67 games with the Toronto Marlies last year, Douglas recorded 13 goals and 34 points.
https://t.co/pC0johwmsl has Curtis Douglas listed as 6-foot-9. If he plays an NHL game, he'd be the tallest forward in NHL history and would join Zdeno Chara as the only 6-foot-9 NHLers ever. pic.twitter.com/VqZXTHXfQe
— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) November 23, 2022
Though he has yet to play an NHL game, its easy to see why the Coyotes would be interested in a prospect like Douglas. Big skaters with scoring touch are unicorns even in the modern NHL. Players like the Detroit Red Wings’ Elmer Söderblom have certainly shown that big guys with hands can thrive in the league, so it will be interesting to see if Arizona can develop Douglas into an NHL caliber centerman.