Are they now? What they do that's so special and makes them better? They block 100+ shots and get 100+ hits like many players we're targeting for our defence. 1 is a stay at home guy and the other the better offensive one who doesn't put up much offence. Whitecloud might be better than Benoit as the shutdown guy but Timmins has put up as many points as Hague in like 50 fewer games.
He can actually move the puck, is good in transition and more often than not was on for both more expected and actual goals for then against? Like it is hard to overstate how the Leafs were statistically a better team when Liljegren was on the ice vs when he wasn't. There is nothing Benoit does better outside of being slightly taller and more physical and Timmins has been a worse player for 3 years.
Timmins isn’t a defender he’s a rover and Benoit is a physical defender with zero skill
They now need to have Timmins on the bottom pair because none of the other 3 can handle or pass the puck.
Well that's just not true at all, but yes, Timmins probably plays more because of the offence he brings over others and he's pretty good at that too.
I have been trust me I might be watching him too hard don’t see where either him or Benoit have been doing fine
That really says more about Keefe and Berube having atrocious taste in defensemen than anything else. People want to know why we can't develop D? It's because the organization always signs too many bottom pairing level guys and will give said veterans who are underperforming much more rope than their own young and home grown players. The fact that Liljegren last year was scratched for Ilya Lyubushkin towards the end of the season despite playing fantastic hockey for most of his games last year tells you all need to know. Management bet big on skill in the early days of the Matthews era, didn't get immediate results and have now swung the pendulum too far in the other direction where we now don't have enough skill on the backend and too much physicality. I guarantee you a pairing consisting of 2 of Benoit, Hakanpaa or Myers will be one of the worst in the NHL.
A little easier when you don’t worry about playing defence count the odd man rushes with them on the ice next game watch the positioning next game while your at it
You sure you're watching the right team? Benoit starting 75% of his shifts in the d zone and still doing his job well even though I'll admit he's had some bad luck at bad times with stick breaks and that 1 own goal. Timmins has been one of our more consistent d man this year which is what you want from a 3rd pair guy.
Then why is the team scoring more than they are giving up goals when he's on the ice if he's not worrying about defence? Last year he'd have dumb turnovers that led to those things but he's cleaned all that up this season and these odd man rushes you speak of aren't really happening. I can think of maybe 2 but those were because Benoit broke his stick both times going for a one timer after they had possession in the offensive zone for a bit. The one Benoit caught up to the guy and forced him to make a pass and the other one I don't remember what happened after. The other time I remember was a breakaway but McCabe was on the ice with him and that was because a forward forgot to cover and McCabe realizing too late a guy left the zone early on his side after Benoit broke up the play along the boards. These things you say happen all the time with these guys were happening with that Liljegren guy quite a bit who was a top 4 guy apparently. You sure you don't got Timmins and Liljegren mixed up? Timmins wears 25 and Lilli wore 37.
