Avalanche lose Sean Walker, slew of others in free agency

The salary cap has struck again, as the Colorado Avalanche will be without the services of Sean Walker, Brandon Duhaime, and Yakov Trenin next season.

Sean Walker won’t be returning to the Colorado Avalanche next season. The 29-year-old defenceman has signed a five-year, $18 million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes ($3.6 million AAV).

While the Avalanche were able to retain Jonathan Drouin on a one-year, $2.5 million contract, Colorado simply did not have enough cap space to keep Walker. Walker was acquired in a trade in March for center Ryan Johansen and a conditional 2025 first-round pick.

The acquisition of Walker is a win-win for Carolina, as the Canes lost Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce in free agency. Walker is also coming off his most productive season. In 81 games (63 with Philadelphia and 18 with Colorado), Walker had 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points. However, he was pointless in 11 playoff games. His second-highest point total came in 2019-20 with the Los Angeles Kings, where he scored five goals and 19 assists for 24 points.

Walker will never light up a stat sheet like a Cale Makar or a Quinn Hughes, but he is a shutdown D-man and can provide any team with the strength to shut down an opposing offense. Standing at 5’11 and weighing 195 pounds, Walker isn’t afraid of mixing it up on the ice. Last year, he threw 118 hits and blocked 136 shots, exemplifying that he can be a tremendous asset in multiple facets of the game.

While Walker wasn’t as good of a schematic fit for Colorado as he was for Philadelphia, Carolina stands to benefit from the deal. They are getting a top-four defenceman, and for Walker, he finally gets the deal and stability he has yearned for years. No more bouncing around between teams — for now. This will allow him to focus on hockey and perform at his best.

In other Avalanche departures announced Monday, the Washington Capitals signed Brandon Duhaime to a two-year, $3.7 million contract ($1.85 million AAV). The 27-year-old Duhaime, a fourth-round draft pick in 2016, recorded 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists) in 80 games with the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche in 2023-24.

Yakov Trenin is also on the move. The gritty forward inked a four-year, $14 million contract ($3.5 million AAV) with the Minnesota Wild. Trenin, 27, was dealt to the Avalanche last March after spending five years with the Nashville Predators. The 2015 second-round pick, who hails from Russia, has scored 48 goals and 82 points in 299 career games.

Finally, Riley Tufte is on the move to the Boston Bruins. He never got a true shot with the Avs and spent most of his time with the Colorado Eagles. The 6-foot-6 forward played only five games with the Avalanche, scoring his second career goal and recording his first career assist.

More moves will surely come with arrivals and departures, including a return to Colorado for T.J. Tynan, which was just announced. Be sure to keep following along to see what happens for the Avs down the line.