- Philadelphia Flyers trade: 2007 Nashville Predators first round draft pick - Philadelphia Flyers acquires: Rights to Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen Analysis After a disappointing start to the 2006-2007 NHL season, the Philadelphia Flyers decided to rebuild through youth and draft picks. They couldn?t seem to buy a win, and had no other choice but to deal their veterans and assets in an attempt to re-tool their roster and focus towards the future. Just before the trade deadline, the Flyers traded star player Peter Forsberg to the Nashville predators, and in a package, received Nashville?s first round draft choice. Now, heading into the Draft, and soon to be Free Agency, the Flyers have traded that draft selection back to Nashville in exchange for the negotiating rights to Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell. Both Timonen and Hartnell would have been valuable commodities on the free agency market, and the Flyers decided to get a head start and sign them both before they become available to the entire league as July 1st approaches. By acquiring the pair of players before July 1st, no other team would have been able to contact Timonen and Hartnell. As expected, the Flyers wasted no time, and signed them soon after. Kimmo Timonen will receive a 6 year contract worth $37.8 million dollars, and will account for $6.3 million annually towards the Flyers salary cap. Kimmo Timonen has often been considered extremely talented, yet underrated. Timonen will give the Flyers that #1 defenseman they have been looking for, since the recent struggles of Joni Pitkanen. In Kimmo Timonen, the Flyers will receive an excellent offensive defenseman, with solid skating abilities. Timonen has been considered a #2 type of defenseman throughout the league, but will soon show that he?s more than capable of leading a team on the blueline. Kimmo is slightly overpaid, but that isn?t the main concern in regards to his contract, the length of his deal is. With a 6 year contract, he?ll be 38 when the contract expires. In the ?new NHL?, teams are attempting to be smarter with the contracts they hand out, and the length of Timonen?s contract may come back and haunt the Flyers in the future. Along with Timonen, the Flyers also signed the gritty Scott Hartnell, a solid defensive power forward. Hartnell will receive a 6-year contract, worth $25.2 million dollars, which will account for $4.2 million annually towards the Flyers salary cap. With this particular contract, the length is manageable, considering Hartnell is just 25 years old. It was often predicted that Hartnell would receive approximately $3.5-$4 per year on the open market, so the Flyers did not significantly overpay. Hartnell is capable of scoring 25 goals per year, provided he stays healthy. In just 64 games last season for the Predators, Hartnell managed to score 22 goals, and 39 points, while recording a +19 +/- rating. Scott Hartnell is the type of player every team wants, a tough forward that skates hard to the net and can score goals. In 436 career NHL games, Hartnell has accumulated 544 penalty minutes, which certainly proves his grit. Overall Grade: B The Flyers did a fantastic job of acquiring Timonen and Hartnell before they were allowed to negotiate with other teams throughout free agency. While trading a first round pick may seem steep, the 2007 draft has often been considered ?weak?. The contracts given out to both Timonen and Hartnell are what prevent the Flyers from gaining a higher grade. - Nashville Predators trade: Rights to Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen. - Nashville Predators acquire: 2007 Nashville Predators first round draft pick. Analysis After a disappointing early exit in the playoffs this past season, the Nashville Predators have run into financial difficulty. Predator?s owner Craig Leipold has agreed to sell the franchise to Canadian Jim Balsillie. Although the deal has yet to be confirmed, rumors have circulated that Balsillie would like to move the franchise to Hamilton. This particular trade may be associated to the agreement, and it appears that the Predators may be rebuilding for this upcoming season. By not re-signing Timonen and Hartnell, the Preds lose two key players from their contending team. After an active off season last year, and acquiring Forsberg from the Flyers, the team looked destined for the championship. The Predators will now gain a large portion of cap room by not signing the pair. The first round draft pick is a valuable asset, and the Predators will look to strength their depth of young players. It remains to be seen which direction the Predators will take this offseason, they?ll either use their cap room from the trade towards other players, or they?ll rebuild, and move the team in the upcoming future. Overall Grade: C Both Timonen and Hartnell will be difficult to replace on the current roster, and it doesn?t look like the Predators will look to contend this upcoming season. However, the first round draft pick will go along ways, and could very well bump the grade up depending on who they draft. It was a wise move acquiring the draft pick, especially if the Predators had no intentions on signing Timonen and Hartnell this season. It seems to be good value at the moment provided their current situation.