The Buffalo Sabres made a surprising trade this afternoon as they have acquired defensemen Conor Timmins and Isaac Belliveau in exchange for the Sabres' second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft (39th overall) and defenseman Connor Clifton.
Timmins, 26, had 15 points (3+12) in 68 games last season with Toronto and Pittsburgh. This is the second right-shot defenseman added to the roster this week, following the addition of Michael Kesselring from Utah on Thursday.
Timmins was good with 5-on-5 ice time in this past season; his teams outscored their opponents 39-30 and held advantages in expected goals (52.2%), shot attempts (51.6%), and scoring chances (51.9%).
Timmins averaged 18:43 of ice time this season with Pittsburgh, which set a career high. He had seven points with Pittsburgh in that span.
Timmins was a second-round draft pick by Colorado in 2017. He’s played 159 NHL games spanning six seasons with Colorado, Arizona, Toronto, and Pittsburgh.
Belliveau, 22, split last season between Pittsburgh’s AHL and ECHL affiliates. The 2021 fifth-round pick has seven points in 24 career AHL games and will be a great addition in Rochester next year.