When he was acquired by Philadelphia in a three-team trade that sent Ivan Provorov to Columbus, Sean Walker was largely considered just a throwaway part of the deal. General Manager Daniel Briere, in his first real move since being given that title, needed to get creative in order to maximize the return for a player who no longer fit the puzzle and made it clear he did not envision a future with the Flyers.
And so, Briere involved the Los Angeles Kings as a broker to retain some of Provorov’s salary to make the cap work for all parties. In exchange, the Flyers agreed to take on the contracts of goaltender Cal Petersen and, of course, Walker. The latter of which was certainly less of a cap dump than the former, considering Walker had only one year remaining on an affordable $2.65-million AAV contract, while Petersen remains one of the most overpaid players in the league through 2024-25.
It wasn’t clear the type of player the Flyers would be getting back in Walker, or the impact he would have. An injury-plagued season in 2021-22, followed by a middling campaign the next year where Walker saw his minutes slashed and his role reduced, made him expendable. Early conjecture was that, given his pending UFA status, the Flyers would show the defenseman off for a half a season and flip him at the deadline for a mid-round draft asset.
Those predictions weren’t half bad. The Flyers did move on from Walker at the deadline, shipping him off to the Avalanche in exchange for a first-round pick, with the very important caveat that they’d take Ryan Johansen’s contract on the way back. So it wasn’t a true first-round pick for Walker swap; the Flyers had to pay a price. A four million dollar dead cap hit, to be exact, with news that Johansen’s NHL career is likely over due to undisclosed injuries.
Nevertheless, just a year prior it would have been almost unfathomable to envision a trade scenario where Walker could fetch a first rounder, asterisks included. But it happened, and although Briere deserves some credit for his craftiness, Walker’s surprise turnaround season was the true spark plug.
Walker was an immediate jolt on the backend and a primary driver of the team’s early success. He complemented his defense partner, Nick Seeler, exceptionally well. Together, they were the most consistent pairing the Flyers had, posting a team-best 56.45 xGF% at 5-on-5.
Walker’s speed (87th percentile amongst all defensemen) made him an effective puck mover and contributor on the rush. He was a regular on the penalty kill, adding two of his own shorthanded goals to a league-high 16 total.
There was talk of a contract extension in the days leading up to the deadline, and although that may have been posturing by the Flyers to set the trade market, it’s not hard to see why. Walker’s makeup and right-hand shot made him a coveted asset who frequently appeared in the top five of players to watch lists as March 8th’s trading freeze approached.
Had the Flyers not acquired a similar asset in Jamie Drysdale, perhaps we’d be having a different conversation, one where we’re evaluating Walker’s future with the team after inking a multi-year deal. But alas, that’s not the way things went, and the Flyers moved on for a draft asset, albeit a much more valuable one than they probably anticipated ever receiving.
Predictably, the Flyers struggled after Walker’s departure, notching just five wins in their final 18 games. Walker’s absence wasn’t the only factor at play; the Flyers lost three other starting defensemen to injury around the same time of the trade, but his presence was sorely missed, and it showed. They were no longer the same tight team defensively and suddenly lost the ability to threaten off the rush.
Meanwhile, in Colorado, Walker settled nicely into his new role. He tallied four goals and three assists in 18 games with the Avalanche. Of note, however, he did not register a point in the 11 playoff games Colorado played before falling to the Dallas Stars in the second round.
Three Questions
Did they live up to expectations?
Absolutely. Far exceeded them, in fact. The Flyers had very little knowledge of Walker even after acquiring him. Briere confirmed as much in a December chit-chat with PHLY. “Sean Walker obviously is a name that we didn’t know much about. We knew he would help us this year. But he’s really stepped up his game.” The on-ice contribution coupled with the future asset Walker helped nab makes this a pretty simple answer.
What can we expect from him next season?
The million dollar question, literally. Walker will likely hit free agency come July 1st; expect several teams to come knocking. Perhaps one of those teams will be the Flyers.
A puck-moving, right-handed shot defenseman is hard to come by. His ability to slot into different systems with success will earn him a decent pay raise in 2024-2025, as he more than proved his resurgence was not solely due to his defensive partner or playing under John Tortorella.
How do we grade his 2023-24 season?
If you’ve been paying attention, this won’t come as a surprise.
