Maple Leafs' Conor Timmins out indefinitely

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins has contracted mono and is out indefinitely, head coach Sheldon Keefe tells team reporter David Alter. Timmins started the season out on season-opening injured reserve after suffering a lower-body injury in a pre-season game against the Montreal Canadiens. The absence held him out until late November. He’s since appeared in 16 games and scored six points.

Timmins is running into tough luck this season, again facing the likelihood of playing minimal games. The 25-year-old played in 27 games last year – the second-most he’s appeared in one NHL season. He scored two goals and 14 points, both career-highs, while also appearing in six AHL games and scoring three points. Timmins was originally drafted 32nd overall in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche. He kicked off a second round that featured plenty of current NHL talents, including Nicolas Hague, Jason Robertson, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. He made his NHL debut with Colorado in the 2019-20 season and played through his rookie season in 2020-21, scoring seven assists through 31 games. He didn’t score his first NHL goal until his 2022-23 season in Toronto.

Keefe also shared with Alter that Mark Giordano and David Kampf should make their return on Tuesday. This gives the team some relief in Timmins’ absence, though Giordano has managed just one goal and six points through 34 games this season. He’s averaging just 17 minutes of ice time each game, his lowest average since the 2008-09 season. The 40-year-old defenseman has amassed 1136 career NHL games and 574 career points.