The Philadelphia Flyers and defenseman Michael Del Zotto agreed to a one-year contract worth $1.3 million on Tuesday.
Splitting last year with the New York Rangers and the Nashville Predators, the 24-year-old registered three goals and 13 assists in 67 regular season contests. Del Zotto’s signing directly correlates to Flyers blueliner Kimmo Timonen becoming sidelined after he was diagnosed with multiple blood clots in his right leg and both lungs.
As Timonen’s future with the club remains uncertain, it was likely that they would go out and find a replacement from the remains of the free agent pool. With Nick Schultz as the sixth d-man on the Flyers current depth chart, Del Zotto is a decent pickup to overtake that role.
After making 42 appearances for the Blueshirts during the 2013-2014 campaign, Del Zotto was traded to the Predators for defenseman Kevin Klein. While he is able to quicken the defense of Philadelphia, the Stouffville, ON native has become prone to giving up the puck in his respective zone throughout his tenure in the NHL, which won’t bode well for Flyers fans come October unless he improves his play all-around.
In terms of career numbers, Del Zotto has tacked on 27 goals and 99 assists in 317 National Hockey League games.
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