NHL Trade Rumors: Insider links $10,600,000 Flyers D-man to multiple Stanley Cup contenders including Oilers, Leafs & more

Modified Feb 08, 2024 16:48 GMT

As the 2024 NHL trade deadline inches closer, now just over a month away, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Sean Walker has emerged as a key target for Stanley Cup contenders looking to bolster their blue line.

Sean Walker is in the final year of his four-year, $10,600,000 contract signed with Philadelphia in 2020. The 29-year-old defenseman will become a UFA at the end of the 2023–24 season.

According to hockey Insider Elliotte Friedman, there's some talk about Walker potentially not being re-signed by the Flyers.

Friedman said that the reason for that is not because the club doesn't want him, but it seems like there might be some considerations about Jamie Drysdale, who joined the team recently following Cutter Gauthier's shocking trade to the Anaheim Ducks.

Friedman mentioned the likes of the Edmonton Oilers and Tampa Bay Lightning to have shown interest in the defenseman:

"I think [Sean] Walker is less likely to be signed, not because they don't want him, just because I think ever since Drysdale got there I think you could see where this could potentially go. For Walker, I've heard Edmonton, I've heard Tampa.."

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are another contender linked to the Flyers defenseman. Friedman added that the Leafs are scouring the market for a defenseman and it is possible that Sean Walker could be a potential target for them:

"I always wonder about Toronto for defencemen, Toronto is looking for D, but I think Walker is going to be out there"

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Walker is a good two-way defenseman who could prove to be a great addition to teams vying to bolster their backline. This season, the 29-year-old defenseman has garnered 17 points in 50 games.

How has Sean Walker fared for the Philadelphia Flyers?

Walker made his way to the National Hockey League as an undrafted player. He was signed by the LA Kings to a one-year contract on July 3, 2018, following his brief stint of one year in the AHL.

Walker played for five years with the LA Kings and appeared in 232 games during that span. In June last year, the Kings traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers as part of a three-team deal involving the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Overall, Sean Walker, in his brief six-year career with the Kings and Flyers, has garnered 84 points through 21 goals and 63 assists in 282 games with a plus/minus of -31.