Could Kimmo Timonen make his long-awaited return to the Flyers’ lineup Saturday at home to the Rangers?
The 39-year-old defenseman who’s missed the entire season due to blood clots provided a status update of sorts today.
“It’s been two weeks now that I’ve been skating –- the last 6-8 days with the team,” he said, per CSN Philly. “Every day is hard, but I feel better every day. We’re getting there. It’s coming along ... Tomorrow is off, we’ll see weekend how I feel and go from there.”
So the answer to the question about Saturday’s game is “we’ll see.”
The thing about Saturday’s game is that it’s Philly’s last one before Monday’s trade deadline. As such, if he does play against the Rangers, it could be his last for the Flyers.
According to Sports Club Stats, the Flyers still have a 6.2 percent chance of making the playoffs. So, at the very least, if he’s not traded to a Stanley Cup contender, Timonen could end up playing some meaningful games down the stretch, after which he may (or may not) choose to retire.