The Toronto Maple Leafs held their final practice of their regular season opener. Fraser Minten and Noah Gregor earn spots in the opening-night lineup. It'll be at least a couple of weeks — if not longer — before Conor Timmins is back in the lineup for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The defenseman joined the club for their morning skate ahead of their game against the Ottawa Senators but it is not close to returning from a lower-body injury he sustained during training camp. "I wouldn't say he close (to returning to the lineup) at this point," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of Timmins. "The plan at this point is he’ll come with us to Sweden and start to put a ramp up practices there. I don't think there's a plan for him to play anytime soon or on that trip." The Maple Leafs are set to play a pair of games in Stockholm on Nov. 17 and Nov. 19 as part of the 2023 NHL Global Series. They will begin practicing in the city on Nov. 14. Timmins suffered a lower-body injury during a pre-season game against the Montreal Canadiens on Sept. 29. The 25-year-old defenseman was spotted wearing a knee brace following the incident. On Oct 2, Keefe announced that Timmins was out "week-to-week." Before the incident, Timmins had performed well during the team's training camp. He scored two goals and four assists in three pre-season games to lead the NHL in points at the time of the injury. He was projected to be the team's seventh defenseman heading into camp. The Maple Leafs are already without Timothy Liljegren (high-ankle sprain) and Jake McCabe will miss his sixth consecutive game with a groin injury. The Maple Leafs acquired Timmins from the Arizona Coyotes on Nov. 23 in exchange for 6-foot-9 prospect Curtis Douglas. The defenseman's young NHL career has been filled with injuries. In November of 2021, Timmins had knee surgery that shut down his entire 2021-22 season. Timmins enjoyed immediate success with the Leafs and had two goals and 12 assists in 25 games in 2023-23. The Leafs signed Timmins to a two-year, $2.2 million extension on Feb. 9. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTk1MTUxMDE2NDM2ODQ0/cf1808c0-6a82-4298-9049-3eb2eae105b0.jpg] Related Maple Leafs Franchise Value Sees Massive 25 Percent Increase to $2.65B in Latest Valuation [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/maple-leafs-franchise-value-sees-massive-25-percent-increase-to-2-65b-in-latest-valuation] Maple Leafs Look to Build Momentum Against Senators, Lineups and Where to Watch [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/game-day/maple-leafs-look-to-build-momentum-against-senators-lineups-and-where-to-watch] Oilers Waive Former Maple Leafs' Starting Goaltender Jack Campbell [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/oilers-waive-former-maple-leafs-starting-goaltender-jack-campbell] News from THN.com THN Archive: Lindros Has Always Been a Special Person and Player [https://thehockeynews.com/news/thn-archive-lindros-was-always-a-special-person-and-player] Screen Shots: New York Islanders, Minnesota Wild, Matthew Knies [https://thehockeynews.com/news/screen-shots-new-york-islanders-minnesota-wild-matthew-knies] The Hockey News Pre-Game Show: NHL Goaltending Talk and Opening Hockey Cards [https://thehockeynews.com/podcast/the-hockey-news-pre-game-show-nhl-goaltending-talk-and-opening-hockey-cards]
