Even after acquiring defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin from the Anaheim Ducks, it’s been reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs are still looking to trade for defensive help on the right side. It makes sense — Lyubushkin is a depth option, but his shaky play this season likely means he’s in over his head if he garners top-four minutes. The Philadelphia Flyers, meanwhile, are shopping defencemen Nick Seeler and Sean Walker; the latter of the two fits the bill for the Maple Leafs’ wants and needs. If they were serious about fixing their blue line and competing for the Stanley Cup this season, Walker simply must be one of, if not their frontrunner for defensive help.
Walker Would Pair Well With Rielly
Morgan Rielly, the Maple Leafs’ star defenceman, is unequivocally offence-first and thus needs to be paired with a defensive stalwart on the right side. Lyubushkin fits the “defence-first” bill, but I certainly wouldn’t call him a net positive in his own end — he’s been the third-worst defenceman in the league according to expected goals above replacement (xGAR) with a score of minus-6.8, and the stats certainly aren’t much more forgiving when looking at his entire career.
Walker, meanwhile, is that defensive stalwart that the Maple Leafs need alongside Rielly, and has an underrated two-way game that would likely result in a bit of extra oomph in the offensive zone as well. In terms of defensive xGAR, Walker ranks fourth in the NHL among defencemen, solely trailing Miro Heiskanen, Olli Maatta, and Alex Vlasic. On a John Tortorella-coached Flyers team, Walker is fourth among their defencemen in expected goals against per 60 (xGA/60) as well, while being iced the third-most and against the toughest competition. He is unafraid of getting in the way of shots and using his body to hinder the opposition from entering the zone.
On top of his stellar defensive work, he’s no slouch on the other end of the ice either. He leads the Flyers’ defence corps in expected goals for per 60 (xGF/60) while sitting at 32nd in the NHL for offensive xGAR. His skating is his most useful asset on offence, which he can use to drive play through the neutral zone and into the offensive end with relative ease. He’s not necessarily one to show up on the scoresheet on a nightly basis — he’s put up six goals and 22 total points in 63 games this season and has a career-high of 24 points — but his offensive capabilities allow his defence partner to take the lead in terms of point acquisition.
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It’s no secret that I’m not necessarily a fan of Lyubushkin, and in adding Walker, chances are he’d be a healthy scratch or at least relegated to third-pair duties — both of which would be positives for Toronto. In all honesty, that alone is a good enough reason to target Walker in a trade. Lyubushkin’s statistical profile is abysmal, and anyone who watches his game can agree that his penchant for using the body at the wrong time oftentimes results in his defensive partner being forced into an odd-man situation. Walker is calculated with that kind of stuff whereas Lyubushkin simply isn’t.
The Expected Price is Worth the Player
With Walker’s asking price reportedly coming in at a first-round pick (from ‘Flyers GM Daniel Briere: ‘Everything’s on the table’ ahead of NHL trade deadline,’ The Athletic, March 1, 2024), many people are hesitant to have him among the Maple Leafs’ top trade targets. Considering his statistical profile, though, the undrafted 29-year-old is well worth that cost. With Lyubushkin not being the defensive solution that the Maple Leafs were looking for on the right side, all eyes should certainly be on Walker in the next couple of days.
