It’s a sick feeling thinking about Conor Timmins

EDMONTON, ALBERTA – Man, if I had one wish for this morning, it would be for Conor Timmins to wake up and just feel like he had a bit of a hangover and that’s it. Just a little headache, nothing that a little Advil and some good hot coffee couldn’t solve.

Because the thought of Timmins descending into the blackness of another concussion is just a little too much of a sick, sinking feeling right now.

This hit seemed to hurt Timmins last night, even though he did play a few shifts after this.

Conor Timmins has gone to the locker room after this hit from behind by Cogliano. Timmins missed 2018/19 season with concussion symptoms. pic.twitter.com/bpJe4q93Le

— NHL Safety Watch (@NHLSafetyWatch) September 3, 2020

Again, Timmins played some after this. I think his final shift came with something like 14 minutes left in the second period, about five minutes after getting that hit from veteran Andrew Cogliano. But he was never seen past the 12-minute mark or so, and the Avs listed Timmins as out for the rest of the night.

We’ll know more – maybe – at coach Bednar’s press briefing today. If it’s another concussion? Well, that would be disastrous for the young Timmins, who missed a full year because of concussion symptoms following a hit taken while a junior player.

Watching the replay over and over, I don’t like the hit by Cogliano. He comes in hard from the side and leans his shoulders right into the head. He practically had his back turned toward Cogliano, so you can argue that’s a boarding violation somewhat.

I asked coach Jared Bednar today what he thought of the hit, and while he obviously hated the result, he said he thought it was an “OK hit.” He’s probably right. Those kinds of hits happen a lot, and Timmins might have been guilty, a little bit, of putting himself in a vulnerable spot.

I just hope Timmins woke up, again, with that hangover feeling that goes away with some water and coffee and a good couple of Advil.

If Timmins can’t go for Game 7? I imagine it’s back to Kevin Connauton. Would I like to see Bo Byram instead? Yeah, probably. But I think Bednar might be a little too shy in putting in a rookie for his first playoff game as a Game 7.

We’ll know more soon, I hope.