Photo: SN

The Columbus Blue Jackets acquired defenseman Ivan Provorov from the Philadelphia Flyers in a three-way trade on Tuesday. Philadelphia received defenseman Sean Walker, goaltender Cal Petersen, defenseman Helge Grans, the Los Angeles Kings’ 2023 first-round pick, Columbus’ conditional 2024 second-round pick, and Los Angeles’ 2024 second-round pick. Los Angeles acquired defenseman Kevin Connauton and forward Hayden Hodgson in addition to eating 30% ($2.025 million) of Provorov’s $6.75 million cap hit for two more seasons.

Columbus must inform Philadelphia which year they elect to trade (2024 or 2025) immediately following the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft for the conditional second-round pick.

Provorov, 26, has registered 65 goals and 152 assists for 217 points with 196 penalty minutes and 11 game-winning goals, including 37 assists and 47 points on the power play, while averaging 24:05 of ice time in 532 career regular-season games with Philadelphia. He is tied for 17th in goals and 40th in points among all NHL defensemen since the 2016-17 season, which was his first in the league.

Ivan Provorov, traded to CBJ, is a minute-munching left-handed defenceman who can move the puck a bit. He also does a lot of stuff in the defensive zone, although the actual results of that stuff are pretty mixed. #CBJ #PrideMonth pic.twitter.com/Un9lmovpaS

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 6, 2023

The 6’1”, 201-pound blueliner was selected by Philadelphia in the first round, seventh overall, at the 2015 NHL Draft one pick before Columbus selected defenseman Zach Werenski with the eighth overall pick. He has collected 30 or more points four times in his seven NHL seasons and has twice scored 13 or more goals. He set career highs for goals, assists (tied) and points with 17 goals, 24, assists, and 41 points in 82 games in 2017-18 and notched 13 goals, 23 assists, and 36 points in 69 outings in 2019-20. Provorov has played in every one of his team’s games in six seasons, missing just three contests during the 2021-22 campaign.

This past season, Provorov tallied six goals, 27 points, a -17 rating, 47.14% five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, 45.62% five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and 45.3% five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage while averaging 23:01 per game (most among Philadelphia defensemen), including 48 seconds on the power play (fourth) and 2:42 on the penalty kill (first).

Columbus is hoping Provorov returns to his old form after the team gave up the second-most goals-per-game (4.01) and had the eighth-worst penalty kill (75.1%) last season. The team finished last in the Eastern Conference by 11 points and is set to hire Mike Babcock as their new head coach after his contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs expires on June 30.

Philadelphia, who’s 3.37 goals-against per game average was the 10th-worst and 74.7% penalty-killing rate was the seventh, changes up their blueline by trading Provorov and adding Walker, who notched three goals, 13 points, a -3 rating, 52.19% five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, 53.33% five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and 51.81% five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage while averaging 14:50 per game (seventh among Los Angeles blueliners), including 58 seconds on the penalty kill (seventh). He appeared in just three of Los Angeles’ six postseason outings.

Philadelphia was able to get more assets to aid their rebuild by taking the final two year’s of Petersen’s contract, which carries a $5 million cap hit. The 28-year-old went 5-3-2 with an .868 save percentage and a 3.75 goals-against average in 10 NHL games with Los Angeles but spent most of the season with the AHL’s Ontario Reign, where he went 16-20-4 with a 2.88 goals-against average, a .904 save percentage and two shutouts in 40 games.

Los Angeles traded Peterson to make room under the NHL salary cap to re-sign pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, who is reportedly interested in just a two-year contract.

Cal Petersen, acquired by PHI, sure is a goalie. #Flyers pic.twitter.com/Zd5b3b8LKA

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 6, 2023

By Harrison Brown