Flyers Acquire Steve Downie from Colorado

VOORHEES — Only an hour after taking shifts centering the fourth line in practice, the Flyers have traded Max Talbot to the Colorado Avalanche for someone who knows the orange and black quite well.

The team re-acquired Steve Downie, whom they drafted in the first round of the 2005 draft. Downie, 26, played two seasons with the Flyers before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Downie has one goal and six assists in 11 games with the Avalanche this season. He only played two games last season before missing the rest of the year with an ACL injury.

Downie, who has a $2.65 million cap hit, will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. That puts the Flyers $900,000 closer to the salary cap. In 38 games with the Flyers to start his career, Downie had six goals and six assists. Although he has 696 penalty minutes in his 285 career NHL games, Downie has decent hands when they stay in his gloves.

“Steve’s a good player, a better player than maybe people give him credit for,” GM Paul Holmgren said. “He’s good with the puck. He’s strong on the puck. He can make a lot of plays. I’m not sure how Chief’s gonna use him.”

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