So, was it everything you were hoping it to be? The Flyers have traded their longest-tenured player and fan favorite to Steve Yzerman's Lightning for Matt Walker and a 4th round pick.
Not exactly Jonathan Bernier or Dustin Tokarski or Carter Ashton or Matt Lashoff, but Matt Walker is 30 years old and on his fourth NHL team in 4 years! That's a win, right?
Oh, did we mention Walker is signed for three more years at a $1.7 mil cap hit?
Matt Walker
#8 / Defenseman / Philadelphia Flyers
6-3
214
Apr 07, 1980
Look, everyone should have known that Simon Gagne wasn't going to bring a hefty return back to the Flyers. GM Paul Holmgren put the team in a situation where the entire league knew he had to trade somebody. He chose Gagne, who had to approve the trade. Suddenly, the teams that could bid on picking up the Flyers scraps for cheap has now dwindled. But you have to think teams would have given up a lot more than Matt Walker and a fourth-round pick just two weeks ago.
Now the question is: why did the Flyers acquire Walker? He is now their 8th defenseman costing more than their 6th and 7th. Is Oskars Bartulis going back to Adirondack? Why pick up the $1.7 million salary, effectively dumping Gagne's $5.25 million hit to only give the team ~$1 million in cap space?
Maybe Walker gets waived, giving the team roughing ~$2.7 million in cap space, but then why acquire Walker in the first place? If Yzerman wouldn't give up a 4th round pick without making Holmgren take Walker, can this even be considered a win?
Expect to hear lots of Marty Turco rumors for awhile.