Conor Timmins (Talia Sprague, USA TODAY Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/913bb54d-d5c0-468d-b832-c03b259e7d46.jpeg] Conor Timmins (Talia Sprague, USA TODAY Images) The Buffalo Sabres made a trade Saturday, but it wasn't the trade many were expecting, as star defenseman Bowen Byram remained a Sabre, at least, for the time being. However, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams reshaped his defense corps by sending rugged blueliner Connor Clifton and the 39th-overall pick in this year's draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/sabres-deal-connor-clifton-to-pittsburgh] in exchange for D-man Conor Timmins and minor leaguer Isaac Beliveau. At first glance -- and at second, third and fourth glance, for that matter -- the trade was a salary dump, as Clifton had one year left on his contract at $3.33 million [https://puckpedia.com/player/connor-clifton], while Timmins is an RFA who won't earn much more than the $1.1 million he made this past season [https://puckpedia.com/player/conor-timmins]. But if people are expecting Timmins to be an impact player of any kind, they probably haven't been paying attention to him as he developed into a journeyman defenseman. "The Wraparound" The 26-year-old Timmins has played for four teams -- the Colorado Avalanche [http://thn.com/colorado], Arizona Coyotes [http://thn.com/utah], Toronto Maple Leafs [http://thn.com/toronto] and the Penguins [http://thn.com/pittsburgh] -- in his five NHL seasons. Timmins averaged a career-best 18:43 of ice time in 17 games with Pittsburgh last season, but prior to that, he played about 16 minutes per game, almost exclusively on his team's third 'D' pairing. And now that he's a Sabre, you can expect Timmins to once again be a third-pair blueliner. Indeed, after Buffalo's trade earlier this week that sent star winger J.J. Peterka to Utah for young winger Josh Doan and D-man Michael Kesselring [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/sabres-blockbuster-trade-with-utah-sends-disgruntled-winger-to-mammoth-for-defensive-depth-son-of-nhl-icon], the Sabres' top-two defense pairings appear to be set. Star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson are set to be the top pair, while Owen Power and Kesselring are set to be the second pair. That leaves the third pair to Timmins and...well, we're not quite certain of the other D-man. That said, Sabres fans need to temper their expectations of their newest defenseman. Timmins had a career-high of two goals and 14 points in 25 games with the Maple Leafs in 2022-23, and he's not likely to pile up points and take up room on the scoresheet anytime soon. If he's playing big minutes for your team, it's likely more to do with injuries to the defensemen ahead of him on the depth chart than it is about him having any merit to be promoted above the third pair. Sabres Blockbuster Trade With Utah Sends Disgruntled Winger To Mammoth For Defensive Depth, Son Of NHL Icon [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/864b551e-b70c-4e27-86bd-db7cb2143f22.jpeg] Sabres Blockbuster Trade With Utah Sends Disgruntled Winger To Mammoth For Defensive Depth, Son Of NHL Icon After watching teams around them make major moves already in the NHL's 2025 off-season, the Buffalo Sabres made a blockbuster deal of their own late Wednesday night, sending disgruntled winger J.J. Peterka to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for young winger Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesserling. And immediately after Peterka was acquired by Utah, he signed <a href="https://puckpedia.com/player/john-jason-peterka">a five-year contract extensipn with an average annual payday of $7.7 million</a>. That's something Peterka wouldn't do with the Sabres, and that's an unfortunate comment on where Buffalo is at as an organization right now. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/sabres-blockbuster-trade-with-utah-sends-disgruntled-winger-to-mammoth-for-defensive-depth-son-of-nhl-icon] Most NHL observers are expecting Buffalo to trade Byram sometime soon. But if and when that happens, it's not going to open up additional oppportunities for Timmins. He's a Sabre because his salary cap hit fits in with Adams' expectations for the blueline, and many people are expecting Adams to eventually use the cap space he's accumulated in the Peterka trade and the Timmins trade on a veteran of consequence. Because if Adams doesn't do that, and this Clifton/Timmins trade is just a deal to save money and keep Buffalo's financial bottom line as cheap as it can be, Sabres fans are not going to react well. As we've argued repeatedly, Buffalo is a team that should be spending every penny they have available under the cap ceiling [https://puckpedia.com/team/buffalo-sabres]. The time to cut costs was long ago, and now, it's the time to utilize the cap space they've accumulated. As Division Rivals Make Big Moves, Sabres Are Still Making Minor Moves [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/47c7590f-9ecf-42d5-878b-85dd34c28306.jpeg] As Division Rivals Make Big Moves, Sabres Are Still Making Minor Moves The Buffalo Sabres made a notable trade this week with <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/sabres-blockbuster-trade-with-utah-sends-disgruntled-winger-to-mammoth-for-defensive-depth-son-of-nhl-icon">the trading of winger J.J. Peterka</a>. But the return on the deal for Peterka -- defenseman Michael Kesselring and winger Josh Doan -- isn't exactly earth-shattering. The Sabres also made news Friday afternoon with <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/sabres-sign-quinn-to-two-year-extension">the re-signing of center Jack Quinn to a two-year, $6.75-million contract extension</a>; but Quinn isn't yet a top-six forward at this stage in his NHL career, so news of his contract extension didn't garner a lot of headlines. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/as-division-rivals-make-big-moves-sabres-are-still-making-minor-moves] So whatever you do, don't place any bets on Timmins being an impact player. If he lasts the whole season in Buffalo, some will be surprised, as he's worn out his welcome on every team he's played for. If you see Timmins eating up minor minutes with the Sabres and being limited in the chances that he gets, that's the proper way to see him. And if you're expecting Adams to trade Byram for some veteran help up front, that's the proper expectation to have for Buffalo management at this point in the off-season. The Sabres have been taking small swings at the plate on the trade front, and it's well beyond time for them to swing for the fences. And acquiring Timmins is almost the dictionary definition of a small swing.
