Walker, 30, has been a lower-pair defenseman in the NHL for the past five seasons, seeing time with St. Louis, Chicago and Tampa Bay. In 66 games with the Lightning last season, he had 2 goals and 5 points and was a minus-11. He also had 90 penalty minutes.
"My initial reaction was pure excitement," Walker said. "To find out that I was coming to Philly, I don''t know if I would say it was a life-long dream, but I''ve always wanted to play in Philly and I thought I would be a good fit there."
For his career, which began with a 16-game stint with St. Louis in 2002-03, Walker has 4 goals and 30 points in 306 NHL games. He is also a minus-7 and has 444 penalty minutes.
"This was a move to solidify our defense," Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said "Matt Walker is a right-shot defenseman that we like; he brings size, grit and toughness to our back end. Simon Gagne played 10 seasons for the Flyers and was not only a good player for us, but also handled himself in a first-class manner on and off the ice."
The Gagne deal is the second deal Yzerman has made with Holmgren since taking the Tampa Bay job this spring. On July 1, he dealt defenseman Andrej Meszaros to the Flyers in exchange for a second-round pick in 2012.
Yzerman said the two deals with the Flyers will give him added salary-cap flexibility down the line. St. Louis recently signed a four-year extension, and Stamkos comes off his entry-level deal at the end of next season.
"I think we''re improving the club," he said. "With Matt Walker, with two years beyond this year on this contract, and Andrej Meszaros, with three years beyond the upcoming season on his contract, it gives me the ability now to not only sign Marty St. Louis but also Stamkos, and some freedom and flexibility to improve the team in the future." |
IP卡
狗仔卡
发表于 2010-3-1 11:17:30
提升卡
置顶卡
沉默卡
喧嚣卡
变色卡
千斤顶
显身卡
作秀