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Philadelphia Flyers Daily: Top Five Deadline Deals

By Danny Povlich

Oct 12, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Fans walk outside the Wells Fargo Center before game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Florida Panthers. The Flyers defeated the Panthers, 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 12, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Fans walk outside the Wells Fargo Center before game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Florida Panthers. The Flyers defeated the Panthers, 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
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4.) Feb. 27, 2015—Timonen to CHI for Picks

Philadelphia Flyers
Mar 22, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; St. Louis Blues left wing Magnus Paajarvi (56) battles for the puck with Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen (44) during the third period at Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

It’s not uncommon to see struggling teams trade aging veterans who have yet to win a Stanley Cup to a contender. And it’s great to see those guys go on to lift the Cup. Ray Bourque is the best example of that.

It’s still bittersweet, though. As a fan of the player, you love to see him achieve his lifelong dream. But you wish so badly that he had done it with your team. Such was the case with Kimmo Timonen.

The ‘06-07 season was the worst in Flyers history. To his credit, general manager Paul Holmgren made a lot of moves to try to right the ship. Before the deadline, he traded Peter Forsberg to the Nashville Predators for a package that included their first-round pick. In the following offseason, Holmgren sent the pick back to Nashville for Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen.

Timonen’s offensive skill was apparent. You just had to look at the stat sheet. But despite his smaller size (5’10”), he was an excellent shut-down defenseman.

"“Kimmo is a tremendous two-way defenseman,” Holmgren said. “He’s smart and he plays around bigger guys.” (Associated Press)"

And Timonen was tough. He seemed willing to play through anything. Timonen was never afraid to block a shot. Countless times we saw him get in the way of a blast, limp to the bench, wince in pain for a few moments, then hop over the boards for his next shift. In the 2008 playoffs, he suffered a blood clot after blocking a shot with his foot. But with the Flyers facing elimination against the Penguins in game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, he fought through the pain and played. The Flyers lost, but the fans recognized the sacrifice.

Philadelphia Flyers
Nov 27, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (77) shoots as Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen (44) defends during the second period at Tampa Bay Times Forum. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Two years later, Timonen led the Flyers’ defense during the 2010 trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. He and the rest of the Flyers came within two wins of having their names engraved on the Cup forever.

Leading up to the 2014-15 season, the Flyers hadn’t gotten past the second round of the playoffs since the 2010 Cup run. And, in August 2014, Timonen was hospitalized with blood clots in his lungs and leg. He missed 62 games, and by the time he was medically cleared to play, the Flyers were out of contention. Without playing a game for the Flyers that year, GM Ron Hextall traded him to Chicago for what turned out to be two second-rounders.

And Timonen finally got to hoist the Cup.

Timonen represented the Flyers at two All-Star Games and won the Barry Ashbee Trophy, given to the team’s best defenseman, five times. Only Eric Desjardins has more, with seven. Among Flyers defenseman, he’s third all-time in points with 270. His 519 games played are good for 10th.

Though he played more games in Nashville, he’ll always be remembered here.

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