Although much of the trade speculation in Philadelphia has centered around defenseman Sean Walker in 2023-24, there's another Flyers blueliner who has entered trade discussions ahead of the Mar. 8 deadline. Rasmus Ristolainen, who is in his third full season in Philly after coming over from the Buffalo Sabres in 2021, has been rumored as a potential player who could be on the move.
Although Ristolainen struggled mightily in his second season with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2022-23, he's been much-improved defensively while working with assistant coach Brad Shaw this year. After missing the first 20 games of the year due to a lower-body injury, he's been solid while playing just under 17 minutes of ice per night.
Shaw has been a help to much of the team's blueline, one of the reasons the team has had success this season, according to Broad Street Buzz's Ariel Melendez.
“The assistant coach has worked wonders with numerous Flyers’ defensemen, including Walker and Nick Seeler. Ristolainen has been on the positive side in regards to driving play,” wrote Melendez on Saturday. “He missed some time at the beginning of the season and took a bit to get into the swing of things.”
Ristolainen is a big body who is hard to play against and would presumably be a bottom pairing defenseman on a Stanley Cup contending team. We say presumably as Risto has never played in a postseason contest despite entering the league with the Sabres in 2013. It's probably high time for the 29-year-old to get a taste of playoff hockey, and if GM Danny Briere can acquire draft capital for the Finn, it would make sense to explore a deal.
Rasmus Ristolainen only a depth defenseman at this point
Despite being drafted No. 8 overall by the Sabres in the 2013 NHL Draft and having high expectations entering the league, he's been on a steady offensive decline. After scoring 45 points in 2016-17 and following it up with 41 and 43 point campaigns, he fell to 33, then 18, then 16, before scoring three goals and adding 20 points over 74 games in 2022-23.
He hasn't done much offensively this year either, recording just a single goal and four points over 30 games.
“What acquiring teams may have to understand, though, is that Ristolainen is not a top-six defender unless absolutely necessary,” continued Melendez. “He works well in a limited, third pair role, which makes the price tag hard to swallow. But if you’re looking for a depth defensemen who can add some physicality to the team, Ristolainen does just that.”
One of the problems with a potential Ristolainen deal is his ghastly cap hit. He's in just the second of a five-year deal that will pay the former World Junior Hockey Championship gold medallist $5.1 million for the next three seasons. That could look better if the salary cap goes up, but likely, the Flyers would need to retain salary in a potential trade.
What he might fetch on the trade market is hard to gauge, but should become more clear over the next couple of weeks. Here are three teams who would benefit from at least checking in on the hulking D-man.
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks already brought a towering blueliner to British Columbia, swinging a trade for Nikita Zadorov before also adding Elias Lindholm weeks later. And GM Patrik Allvin might not be done. The Nucks have already been linked to Ristolainen, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. Vancouver already boasts a blueline with Zadorov and Tyler Myers, who is of similar stature and plays a similar game. It's interesting that the team might want to add another piece, and the Flyers D-man could fill a spot on the bottom pairing, or be an option if injuries take a toll in the postseason.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Along with Vancouver, the Toronto Maple Leafs were the other Canadian club that Friedman linked Ristolainen to. That makes sense, as the Leafs have been desperate to make an addition or two to the defense corps for basically the entire season. The offense continues to keep the ship afloat, but Toronto could certainly use another blueliner. Whether or not he could thrive in the media market is a different story, and his career is already on the decline. Still, it seems that GM Brad Treliving has already reached out to Briere regarding the D-man.
Vegas Golden Knights
This could probably only work if the Flyers were to retain salary on Ristolainen, but the Vegas Golden Knights have been riddled by injuries in 2023-24 and could look to add another piece ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline. Shea Theodore remains on the IR and isn't close, while multiple other pieces on the blue line have missed time with various ailments this year. Risto isn't logging the 23 minutes of ice time he was early in his career, but he could add another element to Vegas' roster ahead of another Stanley Cup run in 2024.
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