In the wake of Kimmo Timonen's injury, the Flyers had to get active. Ron Hextall said he would rather go after a veteran free agent or find a defenseman through a trade than promote a young player to a major role so early in a career.
Lucky for Hextall, there was a good back-up plan still on the market.
The Flyers signed defenseman Michael Del Zotto to a one-year deal worth $1.3 million.
Del Zotto debuted with the New York Rangers in 2009-10 at age 19, playing in 80 games and scoring nine goals.
He was an All-Star in 2011-12, posting a career-high 10 goals and 41 points.
Del Zotto split the 2013-14 season between the Rangers and the Nashville Predators.
The Flyers were certainly feeling the heat, having made minimal moves this offseason and now needing a durable defenseman in the event that Timonen's injury is long-term or career-ending. Del Zotto has averaged just over 20 minutes of ice time per game and played in 317 games in his five-year career.
Kevin Durso is the lead beat writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.
