How Kimmo Timonen Will Make an Impact on the Chicago Blackhawks

Kimmo Timonen's impending arrival in Chicago is further proof of an idea that should no longer be in doubt.

For a few select teams—one of them being the Blackhawks—the regular season doesn't really matter.

Don't misunderstand: By acquiring Timonen from the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday night in exchange for a 2015 second-round pick and a conditional pick in 2016 that could be anything between a second and a fourth, the Blackhawks are a better team. They're still in contention for second place in the Central and home-ice in the first round.

But this trade is about the postseason more than anything. That has to be the case when a team trades for a soon-to-be 40-year-old defenseman that hasn't played in 10 months while recovering from complications resulting from blood clots. Timonen will not only have to shake off the standard rust that comes from such a long layoff, he will have to adjust to a new organization, new teammates and a new system.

The final 19 games of the regular season will serve as a training camp/crash course for Timonen, who even at his advanced age will provide a boost for a sagging, injury-depleted blue line in what he says will be his final season.

Timonen's birthday is in March, which means the Blackhawks hope he will be a 40-year-old burgeoning as the playoffs approach. He has never won a Stanley Cup, which is perhaps the biggest reason he's still continuing his career after dealing with medical adversity in the twilight of his career, but he has 87 postseason games on his resume and reached the Cup Final with the Flyers in 2010.

Nothing highlights Timonen's value like his possession numbers in recent years relative to his Flyers teammates, who, to put it nicely, haven't exactly gotten the job done at 5-on-5 in recent seasons. 

Timonen, in an indirect way, is the replacement for Nick Leddy, whom the Blackhawks had to trade to the New York Islanders before the season because of salary-cap considerations. The Blackhawks needed depth on defense, and while they paid a steep price, they got what could be the best available blueliner on the market.

Here's what the Blackhawks' back end could look like if everyone is healthy when the playoffs begin:

Left defense	Right defense
Duncan Keith	Brent Seabrook
Johnny Oduya	Niklas Hjalmarsson
Kimmo Timonen	Michal Rozsival

With Johnny Oduya out, coach Joel Quenneville had to break up Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. This deal should allow for a reuniting of one of the league's top defense pairings until Oduya is back in a couple weeks.

General manager Stan Bowman is very likely not done dealing. 

Arizona's Antoine Vermette would allow Quennville to go with Jonathan Toews, Brad Richards and Antoine Vermette as his top three centers, which would create nightmare problems for any opponent; however, Vermette would likely cost a first-round pick and more. Is that worth it for a rental?

But if this is it, Bowman has filled the most glaring weakness (relatively speaking) on his roster and made it a far more formidable one when the playoffs begin.

All statistics via NHL.com and Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com. Cap information via Spotrac.

Dave Lozo covers the NHL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter: @DaveLozo.