The Philadelphia Flyers finished off their trade deadline with three trades after they reportedly moved defenseman Erik Johnson back to the Colorado Avalanche at the 11th hour in exchange for Givani Smith.
The veteran spent 13 years in Colorado before finding a new home in Buffalo during the 2023-24 season. He was later flipped to Philadelphia at last year’s deadline as a depth piece for what was supposed to be their playoff push.
Johnson will now return back to Colorado where he played 717 games, tallied 246 points, and won a Stanley Cup in 2022. The Avalanche are currently tied for third in the Central Division with the Minnesota Wild but are geared up for a deep run after acquiring Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle earlier Friday.
Johnson signed a one-year deal with the Flyers over the summer and understood that his role would be relegated as a mentor for the younger defenseman. He skated in 22 games this season but only 7 have come since the 20th of November.
The Flyers were reportedly done for the day according to several sources after having moved off of Andrei Kuzmenko and Scott Laughton. They had talks earlier in the day regarding Egor Zamula and Ryan Poehling but nothing materialized in the end.
On Pattison’s Anthony SanFilippo mentioned that the Flyers did try to move Poehling to New Jersey but they pivoted towards Cody Glass from the Pittsburgh Penguins instead.
As for Smith, the 27-year-old from Toronto, Ontario, was originally drafted in the 2nd round by the Detroit Red Wings but found it difficult to traverse the NHL landscape.
He has 168 games under his belt at the NHL level split across 6 seasons, where he’s accumulated 9 goals, 22 points, and 268 PIM. This season he spent 6 games with the San Jose Sharks before being moved to Colorado where he split 7 games with the Avalanche and 6 with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles.
Unlike their previous two trades, sending Johnson to Colorado was more of a feel-good story as the Flyers look to give Johnson one last opportunity to chase a Stanley Cup. Smith seems destined to be a member of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms or serve as a depth forward in Philadelphia.
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