Maple Leafs Make Surprising Lineup Change Ahead of Blues Matchup

The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to faceoff against the St Louis Blues on Tuesday night and will be welcoming back defenseman Rasmus Sandin from a neck injury. The surprising part....newcomer Connor Timmins is coming out of the lineup, even though he's been on a tear since joining the Leafs via a trade with the Arizona Coyotes.

This is strictly a numbers-game move as Sandin doesn't deserve to lose his spot due to injury. Meanwhile the addition of Timmins has put Leafs defenseman Justin Holl on notice as many feel he should be the one coming out of the lineup and not Timmins.

The newest Leafs blueliner has been great since the deal with the Coyotes, recording eight assists in 11 games. Timmins has shown he can move the puck, and chip in offensively, something that's polar opposite of Holl's game. Toronto is in a good position with their depth on defense, and could use a rotating system to get everyone a look down the stretch.

Don't expect Leafs GM Kyle Dubas to focus on adding anymore defensemen before the March 3 trade deadline as his energy will likely be spent trying to add a winger for the team's second and fourth line.

Its too bad to see Connor Timmins will come out but him and Benn provided some nice depth at 7 and 8 so no need to get it at the deadline. https://t.co/bhmrQl50Ff
— Coach Frank (@CoachFrank18) December 27, 2022