‘Colorado Got A Good One’: Scout Raves About Sean Walker (+)

The Colorado Avalanche love defensemen that can get up and join the rush.

It sure sounds like Sean Walker fits their identity to a tee.

“Colorado got a good one,” an Eastern Conference scout told me.

He didn’t stop there.

“Great teammate. He’s a competitor, he competes so hard,” they said. “Has great legs, can get up the ice, will be a good fit with the style Colorado plays. He can really shoot the puck. Terrific stick instincts – hence why he has I think 2 or 3 short handed goals.”

The Philadelphia Flyers have an incredibly dangerous penalty kill this season, leading the league at 86.5%, and Walker was a big part of that, playing 2:10 a game while his team was down a man. He’s got two shorthanded goals on the year, and could play important minutes for the Avalanche in that role.

A move like this might also be a way for the Avalanche to limit some of the minutes Cale Makar has to play. With Walker and Josh Manson on the right side, they might be able to take him off the penalty kill entirely, if they wanted to.

For Walker, this has been a big year. He had one strong season in Los Angeles, but mostly was lost in the shuffle towards the end of his time there. He’s played more minutes than he ever has in his career, averaging 19:35 a game, and is on pace for the best season of his NHL career.

“Walker, to me, is a young 29,” the scout said. “Played college and then was a bit buried in LA and had an injury. He’s better than 2-3 guys there they decided to keep. He’s really good. Really surprised how good and effective he was (in Philadelphia).”

When does he get himself into trouble?

“At times he can lose his game and try to do too much once he’s had a little success. However, when he plays within himself, he’s a really good player,” they said.

By shipping Bowen Byram out, Walker will come in and immediately play heavy minutes for the Avalanche. That’s a role he’s more than ready to fill.

“Easily 4-5 range guy for them. Colorado will love him.”