Rebuilding project off to Flying start

THE FLYERS said they were going to be aggressive about remaking their team.

Yesterday they proved they were serious, getting out in front of the free-agent market by almost 2 full weeks and nailing the rights to two players who immediately will make them better.

By trading the 23rd pick in this weekend's entry draft back to the Nashville Predators, the Flyers obtained in return the rights to both forward Scott Hartnell, 25, and top defenseman Kimmo Timonen, 32, who both would become unrestricted free agents on July 1.

The Flyers were given permission by the Predators last week to speak with both players, and after being convinced they would be able to sign them, made the trade.

Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren was putting the final touches to dual 6-year contracts yesterday afternoon that will pay Timonen $38 million and Hartnell $25.2 million.

"The principals of the trade were laid in place last Friday," Holmgren explained yesterday. "There was a certain deal for both players. If we were able to move forward with both players, there were different parts to it. So what we did was we traded the 23rd pick in the draft for the rights to both players.

"We did some negotiating with them over the weekend and we're extremely close to getting it done with both guys, and I would assume it will get done."

By any standard, this is a bold and solid move by Holmgren, who continues to make his mark as the Flyers' general manager. He has been making quality trades since just before the March deadline, including moving an ailing Peter Forsberg to Nashville for what can be viewed now as three established players in Scotty Upshall, Timonen and Hartnell and a top defensive prospect in Ryan Parent. The pick that Holmgren traded to Nashville yesterday is the one he obtained in the Forsberg deal.

Upshall already has proven his worth as a player and Timonen and Hartnell will bring immediate impact.

The 5-10, 194-pound Timonen, a lefthanded shot, is a two-time NHL All-Star and three-time member of the Finnish Olympic team. As the Predators' captain last season, he posted a career-high 55 points and was a plus-20.

"[Timonen] is a tremendous two-way defenseman,'' Holmgren said. "He is competitive in his own right. He gets the puck out of his own end, he helps out offensively. He is a tremendous defender. He is one of the better two-way defensemen in the game.

"He is not a very big man, but he is smart, he plays around bigger guys.''

The 6-2, 210-pound Hartnell, a lefthanded shot, is a player Holmgren said he has liked since his first year in the league. Last season, Hartnell had 22 goals, 10 on the power play, and 17 assists in 64 games, along with 96 penalty minutes. He was a plus-19.

"He is a hard-nosed kid, he moves good," Holmgren said. "He is a very aggressive, tough kid. You look at his numbers and they have improved every year in Nashville. He is still on the upward swing in terms of what he is going to be and what he is going to do offensively. What he is going to bring to our team from a character standpoint, from a grit standpoint and from a skill standpoint, I think he's going to be a tremendous addition for us."

Timonen would be paid $8 million each of the next two seasons, $7 million each of the next two, $5 million the fifth and $3 million the sixth. Hartnell will get $5.2 million and $4.7 million the first 2 years, $4.2 million for years 3 and 4, and $3.7 million and $3.2 million for the final 2 seasons.

The total pushes the Flyers' total salary commitment to over $40 million, but still leaves them room to sign a top free-agent center if the cap is set at $49 million, as speculated.

"It has been an awesome day for me and my family," said Timonen, whose brother Jussi already plays for the Flyers. "It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I'm really excited about this opportunity and to have this chance to be part of the Flyers. Hopefully, we can make the playoffs next season and go from there."

Hartnell said he was equally excited. "It was a surprise to me with all the stuff going on right now, especially a couple of weeks before free agency," he said. "I really like the level of commitment shown by Paul Holmgren and the words that were spoken by him to me and my agent on how interested they were.

"To be in an organization like Philadelphia is going to be an awesome time. I am looking forward to having a great second part of my career in Philadelphia and I am excited to get started." *