June 18, 2007
Back in June of 2007, the Flyers' brass made a trade with the Nashville Predators that is still paying dividends as they head into the 2014-15 NHL season. The Flyers traded a previously obtained 1st-round pick back to them in exchange for defenseman Kimmo Timonen and left winger Scott Hartnell.
As it was reported this week on Flyerdelphia, Kimmo has re-signed with the Flyers for one more year. He has been a stalwart on defense for seven seasons, playing in over 500 games with 270 points. He is a leader in the locker room and has been an assistant captain throughout his tenure for the orange and black. At 39, he still has the desire to help the Flyers bring the Cup back to Philadelphia.
Scott Hartnell has been a fiery winger in his seven seasons with Philadelphia and has shared minutes on the top line along with Claude Giroux and Jacob Voracek the last two seasons. He hit the 20-goal mark for the fifth time this season and is always around the net banging home rebounds or deflecting shots. His tenacious checking helps clear up space for the other two skilled players to be creative with the puck. His hard charging and the sometimes reckless way he checks the opposition has led to him falling or being knocked to the ice. From that, the moniker “Hartnell Down” legend has grown in Philadelphia to the point where Scott has named a foundation after it. Hartnell is definitely one of the fan favorites in the City of Brotherly Love, and with his contract stretching out until the 2018-19 season, he will have many more years of “Hartnell Down” at the Wells Fargo Center.
As for that first round selection traded back to Nashville? They went on to select Jonathan Blum. Now a 25-year-old defenseman, he has played a total of 106 NHL games spanning four seasons. Last year, he was with the Minnesota Wild in which he recorded one assist in 15 games.
It’s pretty safe to say the Flyers got the best of that deal.
Mike Watson is a contributing writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on twitter @Mwats_99
