It’s a Con(n)or Swap!
Kyle Dubas has a long history with Conor Timmins and it took a new twist when the Penguins opted to trade the defender to Buffalo. Pittsburgh added ECHL/AHL level defender Isaac Belliveau and acquired the 39th overall pick and defenseman Connor Clifton from the Sabres.
With that pick, the Pens took a player somewhat like Timmins – a big right shot defenseman in Peyton Kettles out of the WHL.
Kettles is somewhat reminsicent of the Pens’ second round pick last year Harrison Brunicke. Both are tall d-men from the WHL and boosted their stock with good performances at the U-18 Worlds in the spring before their respective draft years.
Kettles’ draft rankings compiled by Elite Prospects were as followed:
The Pittsburgh Penguins select Peyton Kettles 39th overall! pic.twitter.com/YPeQKSAKrR
— Elite Prospects (@eliteprospects) June 28, 2025
Pittsburgh Penguins select Peyton Kettles.
The 6-foot-5 defender takes up a ton of space, defends well and is decently mobile for his size. He can kill penalties, and I actually think he’s better offensively than his 14 points suggest. Shutdown defender. #NHLDraft
— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) June 28, 2025
Clifton, 30, has one more year on his contract at a $3.33 million cap hit. The right shot defender played 16:03 per game for Buffalo last year in a third pair role scoring one goal and adding 15 assists in 2024-25. Clifton essentially replaces the spot on the depth chart that Timmins replaces.
Overall, it’s another nice piece of value work for Kyle Dubas and the Penguins. Timmins (and forward Connor Dewar) were acquired for just a fifth round pick. Just a few months later, Pittsburgh has now flipped Timmins for a high second round pick and gotten a semi-capable NHL caliber player to stock their lineup.