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)

Earlier this off-season, the Pittsburgh Penguins traded defenseman Conor Timmins and prospect Isaac Belliveau to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for blueliner Connor Clifton and a second-round pick. 

Now, after being a restricted free agent (RFA) over the last few weeks, Timmins and the Sabres have come to terms on his new contract. The Sabres have announced that they have signed Timmins to a two-year, $4.4 million contract. With this, the former Penguins defenseman will carry a $2.2 million cap hit for the Sabres until the end of the 2026-27 season. 

Timmins and the Sabres were scheduled to go to arbitration soon, but they have now avoided it by getting this new contract finalized. 

Timmins appeared in 68 games this past season, split between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Penguins, where he posted three goals, 12 assists, 15 points, 55 hits, and a plus-11 rating. He notably improved his play after being traded to the Penguins, as he had one goal, six assists, seven points, and a plus-9 rating in just 17 games with the Metropolitan Division club. 

Now, Timmins will look to be a solid part of the Sabres' blueline after getting this nice two-year deal. There is no question that the Sabres need help on the right side of their defense, and it will be intriguing to see if the former Penguin can help them on that front from here. 

Exciting Penguins Prospect Is Big Player To WatchThe Pittsburgh Penguins have plenty of promising youngsters in their system as they focus on the future. One of them is defenseman Owen Pickering, as many believe that the 2022 first-round pick will emerge as a key part of the Penguins' blueline for many years to come. 

Photo Credit:  © Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

With 78 days to go until opening night at Nationwide Arena, there's only one person to talk about - Damon Severson. 

One of the hot topics going into this offseason was Damon Severson, the right-shot defenseman who was traded to Columbus by New Jersey for a 3rd-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, June 9, 2023. He was sent to Columbus in a sign-and-trade with a contract of 8 years, for $6,250,000 per season. 

Before coming to Columbus, Severson spent nine seasons with the New Jersey Devils, after being chosen 60th overall by the Devils in the 2012 NHL Draft. Severson was essentially let go by the Devils after the 2023 season because they weren't going to be able to afford him. After helping the Devils through a rebuild, it was time to pay some younger guys to step in, so he became expendable. 

His first season with Columbus wasn't terrible, minus missing games due to injury. He played in 67 games, had 9 goals, 28 points, and 51 PIMs. 

In his second season, however, the wheels would come off a bit between him and Dean Evason. Towards the end of the season, with a relatively healthy blue line, and with star rookie Denton Mateychuk playing well, Severson saw himself scratched a lot. 

After scoring 6 goals and totaling 25 points, Severson's last game of the season was on April 1 against the Nashville Predators. He would go on to miss the last nine games of the season as a healthy scratch. The last goal he scored was on December 6, 2024, and his last assist was on March 21. 

Despite all that, Don Waddell is in a position to keep Severson and try to get him to play better, as his options are limited to basically nothing. 

Severson and his contract probably can't be traded due to its value, and he isn't a buyout candidate at all. You can read about buying him out and why it won't happen below.

The NHL Buyout Window Is About To Open; Will The Blue Jackets Use it?Now that the Florida Panthers have won the 2025 Stanley Cup, the offseason will get into full swing, and the first piece of business will the NHL's buyout window. 

The Jackets also re-signed Ivan Provorov and Dante Fabbro a few weeks ago, so that puts even more pressure on Damon Severson to get better. The CBJ will have Erik Gudbranson, Denton Mateychuk, and Damon Severson, who are right-shot defensemen, plus Ivan Provorov, who is a left-shot D, but can play the right side just as well as he can the left. At exit interview day, he even mentioned that not too many guys can play both sides as well as he can. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Damon Severson must find a way for him to be better this season. They have guys that can play in case he's not, but the team is better when Damon Severson is playing up to his talent level. 

Here's the scouting report on Damon Severson:

Damon Severson is a right-shot, two-way defenseman known for his offensive upside and solid skating, but also for his occasional defensive lapses and turnovers. He's a reliable player in his own zone, using his body positioning and active stick, and can be effective in all situations, including power plays. While not a physical player, he can play a subtly physical game.

Strengths:

• Offensive Potential: Severson has a good point shot and passing ability, making him a threat on the power play and in transition.
• Two-Way Game: He's effective in both his own zone, using his positioning and stick, and in transition, with strong passing skills.
• Skating: He's a solid skater with good acceleration and agility, allowing him to skate the puck out of the zone.
• Intangibles: He possesses good hockey sense and is described as calm with the puck
• Experience: He has experience playing in all situations and against top-nine forwards.

Weaknesses:

• Defensive Consistency: He has occasional lapses in defensive zone play, leading to giveaways and turnovers.
• Offensive Consistency: While capable, his offensive production can be inconsistent.
• Physicality: He's not a player known for delivering big hits, though he can play a subtly physical game.

Overall: Severson is a solid, reliable defenseman who can contribute offensively and defensively. While he has occasional flaws, his overall game is well-rounded, and he can be a valuable asset for a team. He's a player who can be relied upon in all situations, but may not be a player who stands out with exceptional offensive numbers. 

Do you think Damon Severson will have a bounce back year?

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