The NHL sent a memo to teams, saying a 48-game season will likely start Jan. 19. The CBA isn't expected to be ratified until Saturday, meaning six-day training camps probably won't open until Sunday.
"It's going to be a quick turnaround here," said Timonen, who was prepared to play in Finland if the season was canceled.
A shortened season will magnify each game.
"Every day from now on is going to matter," said Timonen, who had offseason back surgery but says he is totally healthy. "There's no easing into it. It's a battle for the points right away. It's going to be tough. I haven't played since last May, and it may take a few games [to get sharp], but everybody's in the same boat."
Timonen said, "You need to have a good start. Obviously the teams that win games early in the year will be good at the end, so we have to be ready to go from the first game."
The Flyers didn't make many offseason changes, so that may be a benefit.
"We mostly have the same core group, and I think that's going to work to our advantage," forward Max Talbot said. "We have something good going."
"We know each other, and a lot of our guys played in Europe or the minor league, so we're good to go, I think," Timonen said. "They're in midseason mode, so it's good for us."
Danny Briere, who is recovering from a wrist injury that is not believed to be serious, Claude Giroux, Ilya Bryzgalov, Max Talbot, Wayne Simmonds, Jake Voracek, Matt Read, Ruslan Fedotenko, Nick Grossmann, Bruno Gervais and Tom Sestito played in Europe during the lockout.
Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier, Zac Rinaldo, Eric Wellwood, Erik Gustafsson and Marc-Andre Bourdon are among the players who have spent time with the AHL Adirondack Phantoms. Gustafsson (ankle) and Bourdon (concussion) are recovering from injuries.
The last time the NHL had a lockout and didn't start a season until January was 1995, when Paul Holmgren coached the Hartford Whalers to a 19-24-5 record.
"I remember the last time we came back . . . and it just goes by so quickly," Holmgren, now the Flyers' general manager, said of a 48-game season. "You've got to have lots of players. They've got to be on the same page in what you're trying to do. I think the coaches are going to have a big say in this, what type of game they want to play. I know they've been doing their preparation the last couple of days and planning."
Talbot, Timonen, Jody Shelley, Andrej Meszaros and Andreas Lilja were the Flyers at Monday's practice, and others are expected to join them Tuesday. They traded their "NHLPA" lockout jerseys for ones with the Flyers' logo, and they were allowed to use the main locker room for the first time in almost four months - signs that the labor dispute is in the past.
Contact Sam Carchidi at scarchidi@phillynews.com. Follow on Twitter @BroadStBull.
