The good news for Flyers’ defenseman Kimmo Timonen is the blood clot in his lungs are gone. However, the blood clot in his leg still remains putting his return to hockey in jeopardy.
A full body scan revealed the 39-year-olds lungs are clear.
General Manager Ron Hextall updated the media in Buffalo on Saturday ahead of the Flyers’ meeting with the Sabres.
Timonen was diagnosed with the blood clots in August in Finland.
“I feel great and mentally I am really good, working out Monday through Friday, and I’m ready to go but it’s not up to me,” Timonen said last weekend.
Timonen has not played since last April’s playoff series with the New York Rangers and won’t step back onto the ice until he has doctor’s clearance.
“I won’t take that chance and I’m sure the team won’t let me take that chance,” Timonen said. “If they’re not clean, we’re not doing the meeting. But if say everything looks good, we go into the meeting, I’m sure that’s the thing that comes up in everybody’s mind … how we do this in a safe way?”
Timonen has dressed in 519 games with the Flyers over seven seasons registering 38 goals and 270 points to go along with 304 penalty minutes and a plus-44 rating.