The Philadelphia Flyers have made a trade involving defenceman Sean Walker. After being acquired in parts of the three way trade with Ivan Provorov, Walker has been traded to the Colorado Avalanche. Going the other way to the Flyers is a first round draft pick. Also, the Flyers took on Ryan Johansen to relieve the Avalanche of salary cap. The Flyers may have been a surprise team but the trade makes sense from a business standpoint.
Flyers Trade Defenceman Sean Walker
The Flyers remain the surprise team of the season and sit in playoff position. They have defied the expectations and have played well under John Tortorella. However, the Flyers are still rebuilding essentially and reshaping their roster for the future.
Daniel Briere has done a good job at that, as he has signed Owen Tippett to a long term extension. The next order of business is to lock up Travis Konecny, who is the team’s most important player. Walker would have been a great player to keep but proper asset management on the part of Briere.
What This Means
For the Flyers
For the Flyers, the Walker trade makes sense. As much as they would love to keep him, the return on the investment was too good to pass up. The return they landed for Walker allows them to keep building towards the future while maintaining success in the present. On the back end, the Flyers have Cam York, Travis Sanheim, and Jamie Drysdale to pave the way. They can always pivot back and sign Walker in free agent as well.
For the Avalanche
The Avalanche are getting a valuable asset. Walker is a player that can play top four minutes, while also playing in multiple situations. Walker is a physical defenceman and is unafraid to deliver a bone crushing check. He has been solid defensively this season, while also being able to chip in offensively. He is great complimentary depth and that is huge as they trend towards the playoffs.
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