Flyers trade Ivan Provorov to Blue Jackets as part of three

The Philadelphia Flyers are embarking on their first offseason under new general manager Danny Briere and aren't wasting any time getting to work. As part of a three-team deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings, the Flyers are trading defenseman Ivan Provorov to the Blue Jackets, the teams announced on Tuesday.

In return, the Flyers are receiving goaltender Cal Peterson, defenseman Sean Walker, defenseman Helge Grans, a 2023 first-round pick (No. 22 overall), and a 2023 second-round pick from the Kings. The Blue Jackets are also sending a conditional second-round draft choice in either 2024 or 2025 to the Flyers as part of the deal.

Flyers minor league defenseman Kevin Connauton will also be headed to the Blue Jackets, while the Kings will receive winger Hayden Hodgson from the Flyers as part of the trade. In addition, the Kings will retain 30 percent of Provorov's contract.

Provorov has tallied 65 goals and 152 assists during his seven professional seasons since the Flyers selected him with the No. 7 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. The Russian defenseman is coming off a season in which he scored six goals and dished out 21 assists in a full 82-game slate.

Provorov still has two seasons remaining on his six-year, $40.5 million contract that he signed back in 2019. He has an annual cap hit of $6.75 million.

The veteran defenseman made headlines in January when he refused to wear Philadelphia's Pride uniforms during warmups and stayed in the locker room. Provorov cited his religious beliefs as his reasoning for not wearing the Pride jerseys.

"I respect everybody's choices," Provorov said following the game. "My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion. That's all I'm going to say."

Petersen looked like he was going to see significant action in the Kings' crease this past season alongside Jonathan Quick, but ended up being sent down to the AHL in November after struggling to start off the year. The 28-year old has a 44-42-10 record, a 2.92 goals-against-average, and a .905 save percentage in 101 career games, and has spent all five of his NHL seasons in Los Angeles.

Walker, 28, is a veteran defenseman that has recorded 67 career points (16 goals, 51 assists) in five seasons with the Kings. Meanwhile, Grans is a defenseman that was selected with the No. 35 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Kings and spent the 2022-23 season with the AHL's Ontario Reign.