BUFFALO – OK, time for a quick pop quiz, Sabres fans. Does defenseman Conor Timmins’ career goal total eclipse the number of teams he has played for since breaking into the NHL in 2019-20?
The answer, of course, is yes, although by a slim margin. Timmins, a native of nearby St. Catharines, Ontario, has scored six goals in his 159-game career and played for five teams. He has been traded four times, including twice earlier this year.
The Sabres acquired the well-traveled Timmins on June 28 in a trade with Pittsburgh, just 113 days after the Toronto Maple Leafs sent him to the Penguins. He spent parts of three seasons in Toronto, where the Arizona Coyotes dealt him early in 2022-23.
He began his career in Colorado, often skating alongside new teammate Bowen Byram as a rookie in 2020-21 before the Avalanche traded him that summer.
After battling injuries and fighting to crack the lineup time for years, Timmins, 27, established himself a bit in Toronto last season, playing 51 games – he had just 50 appearances over the previous two years – before leaving.
“It’s been kind of crazy,” Timmins said of his movement this year. “Obviously, (I) had a little bit of a home in Toronto for three years, and then just as I started to get settled into Pittsburgh, get traded here.”
Still, Timmins said joining the Sabres “is a dream come true.”
“To be this close to home, to be playing for the city where everyone’s so hungry, the fans want it so bad,” he said following Saturday’s scrimmage in KeyBank Center. “We can do something that hasn’t been done here before, so that’s super exciting.”
He grew up competing against teams from Buffalo and attending games at KeyBank Center.
He rattled off a list of former Sabres – “Guys like (Jason) Pominville, Derek Roy, (Chris) Drury and Christian Ehrhoff and Ryan Miller,” he said – he remembers watching in person.
“There’s a lot of memories for me coming to these games here,” he said.
Now, he wants to create new memories. He said his parents purchased season tickets because they expect to have a lot of requests to watch their son.
In Buffalo, the 6-foot-3, 213-pound Timmins could enjoy a career-changing opportunity. In the first days of training camp, he has been skating on the third pair alongside Mattias Samuelsson.
Coach Lindy Ruff likes to balance his blue line with left- and right-handed shots. Timmins offers the Sabres a sturdier righty than Connor Clifton, the defenseman they sent to the Penguins.
“We’re looking for just a solid defender that can get us out of the zone, defend well,” Ruff said. “… When you’re under duress and you’re playing the right side, you’ve got better options. Watched a lot of film on him. I think he defends well, his gaps are good. So we’re looking at just a mature player. Can be a real solid two-way player for us.”
Perhaps Timmins can earn regular duty and finally stick in one place.
But his previous stops have helped mold him into the player he is today. He said he considers moving around and dealing with the accompanying adversity to be a “blessing.”
“It just goes to show that nothing comes easy in this league,” he said of his growth. “You’re kind of always fighting for your job. Different places have given me different opportunities and different experiences. I’ve played different roles on different teams.”
Timmins said he’s at his best when he’s transitioning the puck.
“I’m pretty versatile,” he said. “I can play power play, penalty kill, move the puck, defend. Just keeping it simple and defending hard is usually where it stems from.”
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Sabres winger Alex Tuch, who missed the first two days of camp with an undisclosed injury, practiced Saturday in LECOM Harborcenter.
“I thought he really looked good,” Ruff said.
Tuch did not participate in the scrimmage. Ruff said the veteran should be a full participant Monday.
Meanwhile, Ruff said goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who been sidelined all camp with a lower-body injury, is “really feeling pretty good.
“Whether he’s ready to participate on Monday or not, we’ll see, but a couple of really good reports on how he’s progressing,” he said.
The Sabres have Sunday off.