Daniel Brière has made his first official move as General Manager of the Philadelphia Flyers and it was a big one.
On a day where The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta tweeted that the Columbus Blue Jackets were in on a defenseman and would like to get a deal done before the draft, Ivan Provorov was dealt shortly after as part of a three-team trade involving the Los Angeles Kings.
The Flyers acquired goaltender Cal Petersen and defensemen Sean Walker and Helge Grans from the Kings, while acquiring the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft – that was originally owned by the Kings but traded to the Jackets at the trade deadline – and 2 second round picks in 2023 including the Blue Jackets’ at number 34 and the Kings’ at number 54. The Kings also retained 30% of Provorov’s deal.
Provorov was drafted in the first round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft with the 7th overall pick and was touted as the number one defenseman of the future – a corps that was slowly evolving into one of the perceived best in the NHL. He broke into the NHL in 2016-17 and scored 6 goals and 30 points, while averaging 21:59 TOI. The following season he made a massive leap as he scored what is still a career-high 17 goals and 41 points while averaging 24:09. He had impressed so much in the first 2 years with a shoddy partner, it was rather remarkable.
He had a down season in 2018-19 before a resurrection the following season in large part because of Matt Niskanen. Ever since the veteran retired, Provorov’s play plummeted and he had a reserved seat on the chopping block ever since. Chuck Fletcher had dangled him like a piece of bait for what seemed like his entire tenure and after a few trades that went un-done, it seems like Briere and company did what the previous regime was too scared to do.
It was a tumultuous ride for the Russian rear-guard who ended his Flyers tenure only missing 3 games – all due to COVID. He scored 65 goals and 217 points in 532 games, averaged 24:05 TOI, blocked 1,035 shots, and delivered 693 hits. He scored 3 goals and 11 points in 22 playoff games and averaged 25:39 TOI. He had 2 years remaining on his contract with an original cap hit of $6.75 million.
Cal Petersen was a fifth round draft pick back in 2013 by the Buffalo Sabres. In parts of 5 seasons at the NHL level – all with the Kings – he has played in 101 games, started in 94, sported a 44-42-10 record with a 2.92 GAA and a.905 SV%. He signed a 3-year contract with a cap hit of $5 million in 2021 after he went 9-18-5 but sported a .911 SV% and a 2.89 GAA. He struggled to meet the criteria of his hefty cap hit and found himself demoted and playing for the Ontario Reign of the AHL. If the Flyers keep him around, he should provide stability for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms next season, unless he impresses in training camp.
Sean Walker is a 5-year NHL veteran defenseman who has 232 games under his belt with 16 goals and 67 points. He sported a career-high 5 goals and 24 points in 70 games back in 2019-20 and was well on his way to breaking those numbers the following year as he scored 5 goals and 18 points in just 47 games. He is coming off a season where he was relegated to bottom pair duties on the Kings, but he still played in 70 games and provided the team with 3 goals and 13 points, while averaging a career-low 14:50 TOI. He has one year remaining at a cap hit of $2.65 million.
Helge Grans was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Kings. He stands at 6’3” and 205 pounds, is a right-handed shot, and is only 21-years-of-age with 2 seasons of AHL experience under his belt. He played for the Malmo Redhawks J20 squad in his draft season where he scored 4 goals and 27 points in 27 games before playing in 21 games for Malmo but at the SHL-level, where he recorded 1 goal and 3 points.
Grans played one more season in the SHL before he moved over to the Ontario Reign of the AHL and scored 7 goals and 24 points in his first season in 56 games. he added 2 goals and 9 points in 59 games this past season. He represented Sweden at the World Juniors in 2021-22 where he recorded 4 assists in 7 games.
There is reportedly more in the works as The Fourth Period’s Anthony Di Marco made mention that the Flyers were working on a deal involving Carter Hart as well.
Stay tuned.
2024 Stadium Series Trip
Flyers Nation and Philly Sports Trips have teamed up to bring you on an amazing bus trip to the 2024 NHL Stadium Series between the Flyers and Devils. Place an early deposit to reserve your spot at the ultimate tailgate experience at MetLife Stadium before the game. The package includes a game ticket, round-trip charter bus, an all-inclusive tailgate party with unlimited cold beverages, “Philly Style” catered food, live entertainment, and more.
