The Philadelphia Flyers are getting ahead of Friday’s trade deadline and made their big move on Wednesday.
The Flyers are trading defenseman Sean Walker to the Colorado Avalanche. In return, the Flyers are getting the Avalanche’s 2025 first-round pick that is top-10 protected and center Ryan Johansen. Philadelphia is also sending a 2026 fifth-round pick to complete the deal.
Through 63 games with the Flyers, Walker scored six goals and earned 22 total points while averaging 19:36 time-on-ice.
Johansen, 31, is under contract through next year and due to a previous trade with the Nashville Predators, carries a cap hit of just $4 million. After that, he is an unrestricted free agent. He was a once-heralded top-six center and one of the best young players but has quickly fallen on hard times, finding himself thrown off to Colorado with 50 percent of his salary retained and has scored just 23 points in 63 games on his new championship-driven team.
The Flyers might try to rejuvenate Johansen to his former self and sell him off at next year’s deadline, or have other plans in mind, but the team has sent the center down on waivers. This is either for more roster flexibility, or for him to actually be sent down to the AHL.
Walker is considered to be the cornerstone of the Flyers’ trade deadline plans. The pending unrestricted free agent was originally acquired in the Ivan Provorov trade and this team quickly rejuvenated his career by giving him plenty of opportunity to succeed under head coach John Tortorella and defensive genius Brad Shaw.
Over the last few months, reports and rumors have piled up that the Flyers might have considered keeping the 29-year-old blueliner with the team and sign him to a contract extension. Multiple conversations were had with the player’s agent and the team to determine what it would take to keep Walker in Philadelphia. Ultimately, it looks like the ask did not make sense for the team and they decided to make a move that made more sense for their rebuilding cause and trade the player for a future asset that will greatly help the team to try and become a contender.
More to come.
