Flyers Trade Sean Walker to Avalanche for Johansen, 1st-Round Pick

The trade deadline is about 48 hours away, and the Flyers have started to make their moves. On Wednesday afternoon, they made their first trade ahead of the deadline.

The Flyers traded defenseman Sean Walker to the Colorado Avalanche, along with a 2026 fifth-round pick, in exchange for forward Ryan Johansen and a 2025 first-round pick.

Walker, 29, had six goals and 22 points in 63 games with the Flyers this season. 

Johansen, 31, had 13 goals and 23 points in 63 games with the Avalanche this season. Johansen has one year remaining on his contract in 2024-25 that carries a $4 million cap hit. The Flyers placed Johansen on waivers minutes after the trade was completed.

The first-round pick, the Flyers desired return all along, is in 2025 and is Top-10 protected. Should the condition be met on the pick, it would slide to the 2026 NHL Draft.

Walker, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings over the summer in the trade involving Ivan Provorov, was essentially a cap throw-in in that trade. Walker’s impressive season allowed the Flyers to turn that acquisition into another first-round pick, in addition to taking on another cap dump in Johansen.

The NHL trade deadline is on Friday at 3 p.m.