Welcome Back: Colorado Avalanche Star Financially Return Back For The Starting….

A team that just won the Stanley Cup two years ago is making it known they want to go for it again.

On Wednesday, the Colorado Avalanche acquired defenseman Sean Walker and a 2026 fifth-round pick from the Philadelphia Flyers.

Going back to Philadelphia is forward Ryan Johansen and a conditional 2025 first-round pick. The first-round pick is top-10 protected. This means if Colorado gets a top-10 pick in next year’s NHL Draft, the first-round pick to the Avs will move to 2026, and Philly will get the pick back for 2025.

It is the second time in exactly nine months that Walker was traded, as he was dealt to the Flyers from the Los Angeles Kings along with goaltender Cal Petersen, Helge Grans and a second-round pick.

It was reported weeks ago that the 29-year-old was closing in on signing an extension with the Flyers, but that narrative has changed over the last week. Walker is in the final season of a four-year deal, with an AAV of $2.65 million, that he signed with L.A. back in September 2020.

Walker had a great run in his first season in Philadelphia, scoring six goals and 16 assists in 63 games. He is just two points away from tying his career-high for points in a season, which he set during the COVID-shortened 2019-20 campaign with the Kings. He will bring depth to solid blueline Denver that features Cale Makar and Devon Toews.

Johansen was not quite working out with the Avs as many had hoped. In 63 games, the 31-year-old has 10 goals and 13 assists in his first season in Colorado. While he might surpass the number of points he set last season (28), Johansen is well off the scoring pace that earned him an eight-year contract with the Nashville Predators back in 2017.

Johansen has one more season at an $8 million cap hit. Since the Predators retained half of Johansen’s AAV when they traded him to the Avs last summer, the Flyers only were looking at $4 million on their books.

Right after making the deal, the Flyers placed Johansen on waivers.

The Avalanche (38-20-5) is sitting third in the Central Divison, four points back of the Dallas Stars for first.

The Flyers (32-23-8) are also in third, currently four points up on the fourth-place New York Islanders in the Metropolitan Division, 12 behind the New York Rangers for first.

The Colorado Avalanche showed in five days just how far away the Chicago Blackhawks are from being competitive. Winning two games in dominating fashion will do that.

The Avalanche went to the United Center last Thursday and put up five goals while keeping the Hawks scoreless. They did the same thing on Tuesday in Denver.

You would have never known that the Blackhawks had a victory over the Avalanche this season with how they played in these past two games. They won this past December with a team depleted by injuries.

The Hawks lost these last two against Colorado with a roster depleted of talent. That is more to say the Avalanche are miles ahead of the Blackhawks and that the Hawks still have a long way to go to think about being competitive.

Superstar Nathan MacKinnon scored two goals and picked up two assists while stud defenseman Cale Makar had a goal and an assist on Tuesday. MacKinnon also had a goal and an assist last Thursday while Makar had two assists.

The Hawks hope Connor Bedard and Kevin Korchinski are producing at that high of a level someday like MacKinnon and Makar. Until then, they are going through their rookie growing pains. Korchinski did find Bedard streaking out on a beautiful pass, but Bedard came up empty.

The “Welcome to the NHL” moments are starting to wear on Bedard like when Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson took an unnecessary slash at his wrist last Thursday. The Hawks were unable to get some justice on Manson as he was scratched on Tuesday because of an injury.