It’s difficult to read sad news about serious blood clot problems and not assume that Kimmo Timonen’s NHL days are over, but the Philadelphia Flyers aren’t giving up on his career just yet, according to CSNPhilly.com.
While Flyers GM Ron Hextall said that a more precise medical update is likely to come next week, head coach Craig Berube provided some interesting optimism regarding the way they’re handling the 39-year-old’s future.
“I don’t approach it like that,” Berube said this week. “He’s not going to be here for the start of the season. I don’t know anything. But I don’t count people out, either. He is not going to be here in camp. That is all I am looking at right now. Then we go from there. To count him out for the whole season is not right.”
Hextall didn’t deny the notion that losing a key veteran like Timonen is a setback. Considering how shaky the Flyers look defensively - at least on paper - it’s easy to see why the organization is keeping its fingers crossed here.
(Click here for more on how the Flyers might look without the Finnish blueliner.)
Timonen signed a one-year contract extension with the Flyers back in June, which will count either way considering his age. The base salary is $2 million with up to $1.5 million in performance bonuses, according to Cap Geek.