The Buffalo Sabres avoided arbitration with former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins, signing him to a two-year contract on Sunday. Timmins filed for salary arbitration just days after Buffalo acquired his rights, along with defenseman Isaac Belliveau, in a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins for a second-round pick and defenseman Connor Clifton. The defender was previously scheduled for arbitration on August 2, according to PuckPedia.com, had he not been able to come to terms with the Sabres before then.
Timmins doubled the value of his previous two-year contract with the Leafs, which paid him $1.1 million AAV, by signing for $2.2 million AAV with the Sabres. The 26-year-old is coming off a career-high in games played last season (68) following a career that had been filled with injuries. With the Leafs, Timmins had two goals and six assists in 51 games before he was dealt, along with forward Connor Dewar, to the Pittsburgh Penguins \as part of a three-way deal and salary-cap clearing move that brought defenseman Brandon Carlo to Toronto.
Earlier this summer, Timmins shared his excitement about joining the Sabres, having grown up watching games in Buffalo since he is from nearby St. Catharines, Ontario. He will also be in proximity to several of his former Maple Leafs teammates. Timmins took to Instagram earlier this month, enjoying the Coldplay concert in Toronto with former Toronto teammates Bobby McMann and Joseph Woll.
Conor Timmins Shares Photos Attending Coldplay Concert In Toronto With Maple Leafs' Bobby McMann And Joseph WollToronto was abuzz with Coldplay's four recent concerts at the new Rogers Stadium, but for Maple Leafs fans, an extra layer of excitement came courtesy of defenseman Conor Timmins. Earlier this week, Timmins, now with the Buffalo Sabres but clearly still close with his former teammates, shared photos on Instagram of himself, Bobby McMann, and Joseph Woll soaking in one of the shows. Timmins even playfully dubbed the newly created venue 'Middle Of Nowhere' in his post.
Timmins has played 101 of his 159 NHL games with Toronto over three seasons, scoring five goals and adding 27 assists while averaging 16:04 of ice time. With the Sabres, Timmins currently slots in as a projected third-pair defenseman.
(Top image credit Sergei Belski-Imagn Images)