In this edition of our 2023-24 Philadelphia Flyers player grading series, we take a look at 29-year-old defenseman Sean Walker. He didn’t get to finish out his season with the Orange and Black due to being traded at the deadline, but the services he provided should not be forgotten. Solely as a Flyer, what grade does he deserve?
Walker Boosts His Value
Walker was acquired by the Flyers during the 2023 offseason in a three-way trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings. The prize for the Blue Jackets was getting Ivan Provorov, while the Kings wanted to shed some salary and dumped Walker’s $2.65 million contract in the process. He was seen as nothing more than a depth defenseman by his former club.
Ultimately, the Flyers got both the best player and the most assets in the deal with a first-round pick and two second-rounders heading their way. Provorov was meant to be far and away the most impactful player involved, but Walker took that title easily. How was that?
Walker had an average ice time of 19:36 with the Flyers, breaking his previous career high of 18:50 set in 2019-20. That excess ice time wasn’t for nothing – he earned every second he played. Among Flyer defensemen, he was first in even-strength expected goals percentage (xGF%) at 55.9. The team was significantly better with him around.
Walker was the perfect two-way player for the Orange and Black, scoring 22 points in 63 games and also having a fairly solid expected goals against per 60 (xGA/60) of 2.49. To put that into context, that number is tied for 36th in the NHL among the 145 defensemen with at least 1,000 minutes played at even strength.
But what exactly made Walker so valuable? Well, he fit the Flyers’ play style like a glove. He was dominant in transition, fantastic at keeping plays in the offensive zone alive, and good in his own zone, too. Everything head coach John Tortorella preached, he was able to execute flawlessly.
For playing so well as a second-pairing defenseman for Philadelphia, there was some intrigue around his name at the trade deadline. Having just one season left on his contract, a rebuilding Flyers team with a 32-23-8 record with him in the lineup had to make a big decision. Would they keep him and make a run for the playoffs, or would they sell his rights to a legitimate Stanley Cup contender?
In the end, the Flyers chose the latter. Walker and a fifth-round draft pick were dealt to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a 2025 first-round pick and 31-year-old center Ryan Johansen. For a player who was seen as a borderline liability by his old team just a few months prior, that’s a decent haul. General manager (GM) Danny Briere did a solid job with the move.
The Flyers After Walker Departed
Looking at Walker’s on-ice impact, it is clear why Philadelphia went 6-10-3 after his departure and missed the playoffs. Of the team’s top-six forwards based on ice time, each one of them had an even-strength xGF% increase of at least five percent with Walker on the ice versus without him. The greatest increase was for Travis Konecny, who had a differential of 14.3 percent.
Of the 20 skaters on the Flyers that played at least 20 games, 16 of them had a better xGF% with Walker on the ice. In this way, the veteran defenseman was arguably the Flyers’ most valuable player. They were simply not complete without him.
To Briere’s credit, he didn’t have much of a choice but to ship off Walker. There wouldn’t have been any reasonable justification for a rebuilder to hold onto a player who had first-round draft pick value. Throwing that away would have been pretty short-sighted for a team with long-shot odds to make a run for the Stanley Cup, so the right choice was made in hindsight.
With that being said, the Flyers might not have done as well with the trade as they might have thought. A first-round pick was nice, but they essentially sabotaged their playoff chances in the process. Having to eat the $4 million salary of Johansen through 2024-25 and giving the Avalanche a draft pick on top of that is by no means a swindling. Without Walker, the Flyers were one of the worst teams in the NHL, while Colorado only got better.
Walker’s Final Grade
Since Walker was so important to the Flyers both statistically and based on the eye test, a pretty nice score is in order. A team-high A-grade seems to be deserved.
Even if Walker ends up being a free agent this offseason, the Flyers would probably be best off steering away. A long-term contract just doesn’t fit their rebuild timeline, which is unfortunate as his tenure in Philadelphia was a treat. Finding another player like him won’t be easy.
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