Flyers Trade Kimmo Timonen to Blackhawks

The Philadelphia Flyers have traded defenseman Kimmo Timonen to the Chicago Blackhawks for two draft picks.

The Flyers will get a second round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, and a conditional fourth round pick in the 2016 draft.  If the Blackhawks win the second round of the playoffs, and Timonen plays in 50% of the games, then the Flyers will get the Blackhawks third round pick in the 2016 draft.  If the Blackhawks win the third round of the playoffs, and Timonen plays in 50% of the games, then the Flyers will get the Blackhawks second round pick in 2016.

Timonen has yet to play a game this season, due to being diagnosed with blood clots in the summer.  The defenseman has been skating for the past few weeks, and was thought to have been making his season debut on Saturday with the Flyers.  In seven years with the Flyers, he has played in 519 games, registered 38 goals, 232 assists, and 270 points.  He was also a plus 44, had 4 game winning goals and averaged 22:27 of ice time per game. Prior to being traded to the Flyers, along with Scott Hartnell, Timonen played eight seasons with the Nashville Predators.  He played in 573 games, registered 79 goals, 222 assists, 301 points.  The defenseman was a minus six, had 10 game winning goals, and averaged 22:29 of ice time per game. In his career, Timonen has played in 1,029 games, registering 117 goals, 454 assists, 571 points, is a plus 38, and has averaged 22:28 of ice time per game.

In his 15 seasons, Timonen has reached the playoffs nine times.  He reached the playoffs in three separate seasons with the Predators.  He was in the playoffs in every season except one, the 2012-13 season, and even reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 2010.  The Flyers lost to the Blackhawks in six games in the Stanley Cup Finals.  Timonen is a four time All Star, and has competed in five Winter Olympics for Team Finland.

Timonen can log big minutes, and is durable.  The defenseman is also mobile and can move the puck well. He can be the quarterback of the power play, and can also play on the penalty kill.  He will also block shots, and shoots with accuracy.

The Blackhawks will be a good team for Timonen because he won’t have to log a ton of minutes because the Blackhawks have two defensemen, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, who will take care of logging the big minutes.  Timonen will likely be a little rusty at first, and will need a couple of games to get back into the swing of things.

The trade worked out for everyone involved, but especially for Timonen because he is going to a team which is competing for a spot in the playoffs, and has a shot at the Stanley Cup, which Timonen has never won in his career.