Preds, Timonen agree to 4-year, $10.5 million deal
By JOHN GLENNON
Staff Writer

The Predators avoided an arbitration hearing with Kimmo Timonen,
agreeing to a four-year, $10.5 million contract with the defenseman.

The two sides completed the deal about midnight on Thursday, using
candlelight after the power outages in Toronto.

Timonen is scheduled to make $2 million this season, $2.5 next year
and $3 million in the third and fourth years of the deal.

It will mark the first time the Predators have paid a skater as much
as $2 million in a season. Defenseman Jason York also has a $2
million salary, but his old club, Anaheim, is paying half of it.

The 28 year-old Timonen finished as the Predators' second-leading
points producer last year, totaling six goals and a team-high 34
assists for 40 points.