Photo credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Photo credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

I don’t hate this.

The Flyers have signed Michael Del Zotto to a one-year, $1.3 million deal, ostensibly so he can replace Kimmo Timonen.

Del Zotto is only 24 and had an outstanding couple of seasons and then sort of fell off a cliff. Mike Halford of Pro Hockey Talk writes of Del Zotto:

A former first-round pick, Del Zotto was at one point considered an up-and-coming young blueliner. He finished eighth in Calder voting on the strength of a 37-point campaign in 2009-10 and had a banner year in 2011-12, scoring a career-high 10 goals and 41 points to finish 12th in Norris voting (ahead of Duncan Keith, if you can imagine that.)

But that feels like a long time ago.

Last season was so bad that, according to the New York Post, one NHL club claiming Del Zotto’s reputation was “in tatters.” Nashville didn’t even bother giving him a qualifying offer after he scored just one goal and five points in 25 games, occasionally sitting as a healthy scratch.

I always liked him, though it’s entirely possible I’m basing my opinion of him on his 24/7 appearances. Anyway, the Flyers needed a coffin… er, a D-man. There are not a lot of D-man available at this point in the offseason. Kimmo’s injury cost the Flyers one D-man they were counting on, so Hextall went out and replaced him as best I could. Voilà.* And Del Zotto looks like Screech F’d Andy Samberg F’d Jason Biggs. I dig that.

*That’s my second Christmas Vacation reference of the day. The shitter is full!**

**Three.