3 Potential Trade Destinations for Maple Leafs' Conor Timmins

The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to upgrade their third line and their bottom pair on the blueline, resulting in Conor Timmins being a prime trade candidate before the March 7 trade deadline. GM Brad Treliving signed Philippe Myers to a contract extension earlier this season, as Timmins has quietly become the odd man out for Toronto's back end.

Here's three teams to watch for the 26-year-old defenseman, who is a pending RFA earning $1.1 million this season:

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins are likely moving a couple of defensemen ahead of the trade deadline, so Kyle Dubas will need some fill-ins to end the year. He's a huge fan of Timmins and the sole reason why the Maple Leafs acquired him, as the two go way back to their junior days together. It would be very fitting that if the Leafs and Penguins do business together, it's a former Soo Greyhound going back to Dubas' team.

Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks continue to look at options for their blueline, even after landing Marcus Pettersson. Timmins would give them another righty and someone who can play a depth role on both sides of special teams. The Canucks have $11.3 million in current cap space, and a projected $16.2 million in deadline cap space. While adding Timmins wouldn't be a ground-breaking move, he's shown the capabilities of being a streaky defender and could take his game to another level with a change of scenery and some more opportunity.

Montreal Canadiens

The Leafs have been linked to David Savard and Jake Evans of the Canadiens, and Timmins is certainly a prime candidate to be included in the deal. Montreal would be a great place for him to get more playing time throughout the rest of this season, and potentially landing a multi-year contract extension to stick around in the summer.