Ivan Provorov, Cal Petersen and Sean Walker are the first three major dominos to fall early on during the NHL “offseason.”
Although the NHL has only played two games of the Stanley Cup Finals, there are 30 other teams not actively participating in the playoffs whose focus is on the upcoming NHL Draft (June 28) and free agency period (July 1).
On Tuesday afternoon, three teams couldn’t wait to pull the trigger on one of the offseason’s first big trades, involving the Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, and Columbus Blue Jackets. Outside of several prospects, the big names include Ivan Provorov, Cal Petersen and Sean Walker.
Considering this is one of the first significant deals of the summer, it’s time to look at winners and losers.
Related: Updated 2023 NHL mock draft
Winner: Ivan Provorov gets a fresh start
Provorov has been in a Flyers jersey since the team selected him with the seventh overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. Surprisingly, until the 2021-22 season, he had never missed a game.
Although Provorov’s career-best 41 points came in 2017-18, he consistently hits 25 points annually. However, it’s not enough from a guy making $6.7 million a season. Interestingly, he made headlines last year for deciding not to participate in the Flyers’ pride night celebration, causing many fans to get fired up about the issue.
Considering the Flyers want to rebuild with prospects and draft picks, Provorov will get a fresh start in Columbus. Ultimately, he can leave all the negativity behind and go back to playing a ton of minutes on a Blue Jackets team just missing a few pieces to be considered playoff contenders. Even though he ended his tenure with the Flyers on a questionable note, there’s a chance to make amends in a new city where he’ll have a clean slate.
Related: 3 possible outcomes for NHL free agent Lars Eller, including the Chicago Blackhawks
Winner: Philadelphia Flyers restock their war chest
When the league meets in Nashville for the 2023 NHL Draft on June 28, the Flyers will be looking to build their prospect pool into one of the strongest in the league, thanks to two first-round draft picks. Besides their own selection at seventh overall, they now have the 22nd overall pick after this three-team deal with Los Angeles.
Moreover, after dealing away several second-round picks over the previous seasons, they did not have a slot in that round until 2025. General manager Daniel Briere changed that, acquiring a second-round pick from Los Angeles and Columbus to have two in the 2024 draft.
Besides acquiring two additional prospects, Cal Petersen (101 NHL/156 AHL games) and Helge Grans (105 AHL games), the Flyers are changing the dynamics of their minor-league clubs. Although neither player may be NHL-ready, bringing experienced AHL guys to play with inexperienced new draftees will go a long way toward building a future winner.
Winner: Los Angeles Kings shuffle the roster
As mentioned, Petersen has been in the Kings system since 2017, when he signed out of college as a free agent. Unfortunately, his limited experience at the NHL level hasn’t earned him a chance to prove himself. However, if we look at his 69-69-13 record in the AHL, he may never turn into a starter. The team had to cut its losses.
Although the Kings acquired 30% of Ivan Provorov’s salary, the team can focus on restocking their goalie pool since Pheonix Copley is the only netminder on the roster for the start of next season. Additionally, the Kings acquired prospect Hayden Hodgson and veteran Kevin Connauton, the latter of whom has a combined 684 games between the NHL and AHL.
Even though the Kings sacrificed cap space to move some players, general manager Rob Blake has flexibility to find the right pieces to improve their roster today and for the future.
Related: 3 potential landing spots for J.T. Compher in NHL free agency, including the Minnesota Wild
Winner: Columbus Blue Jackets start adjusting to improve
After making one of the biggest splashes in the summer of 2022, inking superstar Johnny Gaudreau to a massive contract, the Blue Jackets then proceeded to have one of the worse years in franchise history. Despite being picked to qualify for the playoffs, the team spent most of the season in the Connor Bedard sweepstakes, finishing 31st overall in the standings.
Although there were several reasons for their demise, injuries were among the more significant issues. Considering players like Zach Werenski, Erik Gudbranson, and Nick Blankenburg went down with season-ending injuries, finding regular bodies to cover the blue line took a lot of work.
Now that Provorov has slid into the lineup, with a healthy career and missing only a few games, he will stabilize a team looking to take a step forward. Even though he’s not as productive as he could be, he’ll have a chance to regain the spark from the beginning of his career, improving his point totals and plus/minus rating.
Ultimately, once the Blue Jackets hire a new coach to implement a new system, we can figure out how Ivan Provorov fits with his new team.