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Timonen will ‘figure out during the summer’ if he wants to keep playing

kimmotimonen

Even at 38 years old, Kimmo Timonen is a huge part of the Flyers. The Finnish defenseman logs over 20 minutes per game and leads all Philadelphia blue-liners with 16 power-play assists.

He’s also a pending unrestricted free agent, a status that has led to questions about his plans for the future. Will he keep playing or will he retire after this season?

For now, Timonen says he’s leaving his options open, the most important factor in his decision being what happens in the playoffs.

“Winning the Stanley Cup, that’s obviously the biggest one,” he said, per CSN Philly. “But I still want to play at a high level, and I have to figure out during the summer if I’m still in good shape.”

Regardless of whether he retires or plays one or even two more years, the Flyers will need to address their blue line -- one you could easily argue is still adjusting to the loss of Chris Pronger -- at some point soon.

It’s presumed management will attempt to re-sign recently acquired Andrew MacDonald, also a pending UFA. But even if that happens and Timonen commits to another year, don’t be surprised if the Flyers come up in trade speculation regarding any available top-4 d-men in the offseason, including names like Dustin Byfuglien out of Winnipeg, or Alex Edler out of Vancouver.

Per CapGeek, here’s how the Philly blue line looks right now:

Flyers