William Nylander to start training camp at center, while When the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Conor Timmins in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes last season, there were questions about the defenseman's durability. Those fears were tested this past week when Timmins was injured in a pre-season game against the Montreal Canadiens. Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe announced on Monday that the 25-year-old defenseman was out week-to-week with a "significant" lower-body injury. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Toronto Maple Leafs are possibly breathing a sigh of relief after the defenseman's diagnosis. "Apparently, the Maple Leafs are hopeful they have dodged the worst-case scenario," Friedman said during the second intermission of the Maple Leafs' 5-4 overtime loss to the Canadiens on Monday. "I think there was some real fear it was going to be longer than that." The Maple Leafs acquired Timmins last November in a trade for forward prospect Curtis Douglas. A second-round selection (32nd overall) by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2017 NHL Draft, Timmins' career has been filled with head and knee injuries that limited him to just 39 NHL games over three years before last season. The defenseman's training camp got off to a hot start when he scored twice and added four assists in three games. With Toronto's defensive mix still not clear ahead of opening night, Timmins quickly became a front-runner for an opening night lineup. It's unlikely that the defenseman will start the regular season healthy unless there is significant improvement between now and when the team kicks off on Oct. 11 against Montreal. When someone says week-to-week that says to me we’re talking like four-to-six (weeks) so we’ll see. But the positive news is there was a fear this could be a lot worse. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTk1MTUxMDE2NDM2ODQ0/cf1808c0-6a82-4298-9049-3eb2eae105b0.jpg] Related Toronto Marlies 2023 Training Camp Roster Released [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/breaking-news/toronto-marlies-2023-training-camp-roster-released] John Tavares' Strength and Other Observations from the Maple Leafs' Pre-Season Loss Against Montreal [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/breaking-news/john-tavares-strength-and-other-observations-from-the-maple-leafs-pre-season-loss-against-montreal] Maple Leafs Cut 27 Players From Training Camp, Sent to AHL Marlies [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/breaking-news/maple-leafs-cut-27-players-from-training-camp-sent-to-ahl-marlies] News from THN.com Five Hockey Team Hype Videos to Watch Over and Over [https://thehockeynews.com/news/five-hockey-team-hype-videos-to-watch-over-and-over] Could Several Atlantic Division Teams Pursue Patrick Kane? [https://thehockeynews.com/news/could-several-atlantic-division-teams-pursue-patrick-kane] NHL's Elite Athleticism Forces Bittersweet Endings for Recently Retired Veterans [https://thehockeynews.com/news/nhls-elite-athleticism-forces-bittersweet-endings-for-recently-retired-veterans]
