A potential trade partner for the Philadelphia Flyers has been ruled out as they’ve secured reinforcements from elsewhere. On Thursday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs finalized a deal with the Anaheim Ducks to bring back Ilya Lyubushkin, a former teammate, in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 third-round pick.
While the Maple Leafs were among the teams that could have been considered in a potential trade involving Sean Walker, their acquisition of Lyubushkin indicates they’re not currently pursuing trades with the Flyers. Walker and his defensive partner, Nick Seeler, are expected to command a significant price for interested teams.
It’s noteworthy that the Carolina Hurricanes, a divisional rival in the Metropolitan Division, played a role in facilitating the Lyubushkin trade by agreeing to retain 50% of his salary ($1.375 million).
The Flyers have expressed their willingness to retain salary to maximize their return in potential deals involving both Seeler and Walker.
Should the Flyers opt to retain the maximum 50% on Walker, his cap hit would decrease to $1.325 million, making him a more economical option compared to Lyubushkin, whose performance has been largely average in recent seasons.
While the Maple Leafs still possess their 2024 first-round pick and have sufficient cap space to accommodate Walker at 50%, their defensive lineup is already at full capacity. Assuming the injured Mark Giordano is placed on injured reserve, Toronto’s roster would reach the maximum limit of 23 players, potentially obligating the Flyers to accept a player in return in any trade scenario.
While a trade with the Flyers may become more feasible for the Maple Leafs in the coming week, their current actions suggest they are not yet inclined to pursue significant moves.
