The 29-year-old Walker was a deadline target of the Leafs, but GM Brad Treliving did not want to part with his team's first-round pick in exchange for a rental. As such, Walker was shipped off to the Colorado Avalanche by the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Ryan Johansen and a top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick. Walker had a number of teams interested in him at the deadline and will surely have plenty more interested should he hit free agency in less than a month.
According to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta, the Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, Carolina Hurricanes and, of course, the Toronto Maple Leafs are just a few of the teams who are expected to pursue the Ontario native.
The 5'11, 190-pound, right-shot blueliner isn't the biggest body out there, but he plays with an edge and is an excellent skater. With the Leafs having just RFA Timothy Liljegren and Conor Timmins on the right side, they are in desperate need of a third, as we saw late in the season and playoffs.
Walker is coming off of a 4-year deal that carried a $2.65M cap hit and will be looking for a hefty raise. According to Evolving Hockey, Walker's next deal could see him fetch $4.96M per season on a five-year deal. The Leafs have just over $18M in cap space and it's well known that Treliving has wanted to rebuild the blueline since he arrived in Toronto last May, so it would not come as a surprise to see most of that money go towards the D corps.
