Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen will be out indefinitely due to a blood clot while blocking a shot in game 4 against Montréal last round. With game 1 tomorrow night in Pittsburgh, Steve Coates said on Comcast SportsNet, he doesn’t expect Timonen to return at any point for the remainder of the playoffs.

Timonen is easily the Flyers best defenseman, shutting down Alexander Ovechkin in the first round and the Kostitsyn brothers along with Alex Kovalev in the second round in Montréal. His absence leaves the door open for Lasse Kukkonen or Jaroslav Modry to make a return to the lineup.

Obviously the loss of the Flyers’ best defenseman is good news for Evgeni Malkin who was basically designated as the assignment for Timonen. In his absence, veteran defensemen Derian Hatcher (who is really more of a Crosby guy) and Timonen’s defensive partner Braydon Coburn will have to step up and take the load on the blue line in stopping the Penguins’ big three of the aforementioned Crosby, Malkin, and Marian Hossa.

Photo courtesy: Getty Images via Flyers website