Rasmus Ristolainen staying? Flyers' trade target not drawing high interest
The needle, at the moment, is inching back toward Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen remaining with the team past next Friday's trade deadline.
Despite Ristolainen being high on various trade boards — including ours — the Flyers haven't received many calls on the 30-year-old blueliner with two seasons left on his contract after this one at a $5.1 million AAV, according to a team source.
Advertisement
That can quickly change this time of year, of course, particularly if there's a team or teams that swing and miss on other targets. But, at least for now, Ristolainen is less likely to be dealt than previously thought.
And, really, that shouldn't be all that astonishing. General manager Daniel Briere said in his most recent media availability that Ristolainen was 'not a rental.' That's essentially code for, they're not going to deal him if the asking price isn't met. It seems likely the Flyers would prefer a first-round pick or a top prospect in exchange for Ristolainen.
Further, the Flyers almost certainly don't want to retain any salary on Ristolainen in future seasons, either. While $5.1 million could be an inflated salary for a third-pair defenseman — which is where Ristolainen has been playing lately — the latest playing cards have his market value at $4 million. I'd argue it could be even higher in the real world simply because he's a right-handed shot with good size and physicality, something that playoff teams are always seeking.
But that's what also makes him valuable to the Flyers, who already have a small lineup — the smallest in the league by weight, in fact, according to Elite Prospects.
On defense, 6-foot Cam York and 5-foot-11 Jamie Drysdale are current regulars, while 5-9 Emil Andrae is knocking at the door after an impressive NHL stint earlier this season. Associate coach Brad Shaw, who runs the defense and the penalty kill, confirmed last week that it's unlikely the Flyers will be able to dress all three of them on a regular basis when they plan on making a playoff push again — which could be as soon as next season.
'You can't teach size. You look at the teams that are winning playoff rounds and Stanley Cups, and for the most part, they have big defense cores,' Shaw said. 'Part of our growth as an organization is, you likely can't have those three guys around when you're really vying (for the playoffs) and becoming a contender and being a team that's going through playoff rounds.
Advertisement
'As you're shaping your roster — I love size. I've coached lots of big defensemen. I love them on the penalty kill. An extra foot of reach is an incredible asset to have. I love big guys with snarl. They have a huge value. They impact games in different ways. But at this moment, we don't quite have that makeup.'
Coach John Tortorella on Wednesday called Ristolainen 'the most improved player since I started here. Size, righty, escapes (pressure), uses his legs.'
He continued: 'If you trade him on Friday, then on Saturday, you say, 'S—, I need a big, right-handed defenseman.' These are the conversations that coaches have with their (general) managers, and you talk about it. But I do think you have to listen, because you can't fall in love. If there's something that really is a good situation for the time frame that we're in with our team right now, I'm sure Danny is going to look really hard at it. You have to listen. But you just can't make a trade just because you think you have to make a trade.'
If the Flyers do trade Ristolainen, there's no one in the system who could immediately fill the void he would leave. The Flyers like 22-year-old prospect Hunter McDonald, a 6-4, 204-pounder, and while his first professional season has been mostly encouraging, he's still viewed internally as someone who needs more time in the AHL to develop before he's a consideration for the big club.
Meanwhile, Ristolainen, who has 18 points (4 goals, 14 assists) in 56 games this season and ripped home a one-timer to open the scoring in Tuesday's 6-1 Flyers win over the Penguins, acknowledged after the game that he might be playing the best hockey of his career.
'Yeah, maybe,' he said. 'Just feel like things are coming together. Keep working hard, and stay confident.'
Andrei Kuzmenko also made an appearance on Chris Johnston's trade board this week as a candidate to get flipped before the deadline. The 29-year-old forward was acquired by the Flyers from the Calgary Flames are part of the trade for Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee. In three games with the Flyers, he has a power play goal and an assist playing on a line with Laughton and Travis Konecny.
Advertisement
The Flyers aren't against listening to offers for Kuzmenko before next Friday. But, there haven't been any calls inquiring on him just yet. A 12-team modified no-trade clause limits their options, too.
If he does remain with the Flyers, the team is still open to keeping the pending unrestricted free agent around. But, of course, it would have to be at a greatly reduced salary than the current $5.5 million he's making now.
Kuzmenko's best chance at a decent payday this summer could be to try and maximize his time for the rest of the season with the Flyers, who have him in the bumper position on the top power-play unit.
(Photo of Rasmus Ristolainen: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
33 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Stanley Cup Final shifts to South Florida for Game 3 after the Panthers and Oilers split in Edmonton
SUNRISE, Fla. — Back in the same locker room that was the scene of Connor McDavid's profanity-laced outburst and the tearful ending to his first Stanley Cup Final, the Edmonton Oilers hope they can avoid the same result this time around. Their next chance to take that step comes Monday night in Game 3 of their final rematch against the Florida Panthers , with play shifting to Sunrise after the teams split in Edmonton. The Oilers practiced in the shadow of the Panthers' championship banner and, afterwards, players stood in the same room McDavid did his post-Game 7 interview at the most disappointing moment of his NHL career. 'I think no matter how much time passes, it'll always be on your mind (when) you get that close,' coach Kris Knoblauch said. 'We're at a new stage of our season or our path, and we're just focused on what we need to do right now.' The Panthers won three of their four home games in the final last year, including the first two on the way to going up 3-0 in the series. The Oilers took Games 4 and 6 in Edmonton and Game 5 at Florida before their gut-wrenching loss in Game 7. This is also not their first trip back. They got that out of the way Feb. 27 and are very familiar with the arena thanks to last June. 'Absolutely, there's a comfort level in that, and there's a benefit in that,' forward Connor Brown said. 'You kind of know what to expect, you've been here and so you learn from experience, too. To be able to kind of have had to earn that experience last year, I think we'll benefit from it this year.' The Panthers went 27-12-2 at home during the regular season and 4-3 during the playoffs. 'It's never bad being in your own bed, have a nice home-cooked meal,' Florida's Sam Reinhart said. 'I mean, once the puck drops, you might use the crowd a little bit. You might have that little extra energy. But at this time, it's the two best teams that are left standing. Once that puck drops, it's going to be a real battle regardless.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
Chicago Tribune
39 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Letters: The Stanley Cup Final is the greatest of all sports championships
When the month of June comes along each year, I welcome it with open arms. Not for the nice weather or summer activities, but for the greatest of all sports championships, the Stanley Cup Final. The NHL is stacked with some of the best and most underpaid athletes in the world. They are also, for the most part, a humble collection of young men when they are not competing on the ice (just listen to their interviews between periods; it's never about themselves but about the team). As I took a seat in my living room for Game 1 between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers, I was once again reminded why I love this series so much. As protocol requires, when a U.S. hockey team plays a team from Canada, the national anthems of both countries are sung. Game 1 was no different, as the Oilers selected a fan (with obvious singing experience and a beautiful tenor voice) to sing both anthems from his seat, surrounded by fans in his section. He performed the Star Spangled Banner flawlessly, but the real head-turner was when he sang 'O Canada.' I think he sang the first three lines of O Canada when he realized that the entire arena was singing with him. At that point, he stopped singing and let the Edmonton crowd, both young and old, perform in his place. He simply held up the mic for those tuned-in to listen. Talk about goosebumps, smiles and tears all at the same time. This was an example of the pride Canadians have for their country and for the Oilers. I was absolutely amazed! At that moment, I thought to myself, 'would that ever happen in this country?' Would our fellow countrymen and women show that kind of pride in the United States of America? Moreover, can I be sure that almost every fan in a U.S. arena would know the Star Spangled Banner without a cheat sheet? I'm not even sure if our current president or many in his administration could sing our national anthem without notes. I only say this because of the amount of unconstitutional executive orders President Donald Trump has signed; he obviously didn't ace his seventh grade Constitution test. Right about now, some of you are crumpling up the paper this op-ed is written on. But ask yourselves, 'Are you truly satisfied with the way the United States is viewed around the world and by our own citizens?' If you are, you will probably never understand the meaning of 'do unto others as you would have done to you.' For me, I'll bask in the pride of the Edmonton fans and hope that same pride and humility returns to this country. Go June 5 editorial, 'A new chance for school choice in Illinois,' (June 5) makes it sound like tax-credit scholarships are the answer to almost every education challenge. On the surface, it sounds reasonable — who wouldn't want every child to attend the best possible school? But this argument doesn't hold up when you look at the facts. A 2024 report commissioned by the Illinois State Board of Education found that public school students actually outperformed recipients of the Invest in Kids tax-credit scholarships on state standardized tests. In 2023, 35% of public school students were proficient in reading, compared to just 22% of scholarship recipients. In math, 27% of public school students were proficient, compared to 16% of scholarship recipients. This data suggests that, in many cases, we're using tax dollars to help send kids to private schools that aren't even performing as well as the public schools they're leaving. I appreciated the Tribune's recent editorial, 'When school boards ride in limousines and students lack the basics,' (June 2) highlighting wasteful spending by some Illinois school boards. Waste should absolutely be addressed. But where's the same scrutiny of private schools receiving tax dollars through scholarships? They often operate with far less accountability than public schools, even though they benefit from public funds. I understand that many families are desperate to find better options for their kids, especially when public schools are underfunded. But let's be honest: the struggles of public schools are often the result of years of disinvestment and constant efforts to undermine them in favor of privatized alternatives. The Tribune's own coverage seems to keep reinforcing the narrative that public schools are the problem and private schools are the solution. But when we look at the data, that's just not the whole story. Instead of shifting money to private schools that can pick and choose which students they serve, let's focus on strengthening every public school so that every child — no matter where they live — has access to a high-quality you published a piece about Walden Pond, (On this Day, June 6) which took me back in time. In the late '50s and specifically in 1960, I spent many delightful hours swimming with my family and cousins at Walden Pond. My family paid a small fee to have parking and access to the beach which provided a bathhouse, a lifeguard, and lots of sand (trucked in, I'm sure). There were no public pools available to families like mine, and the local lakes were all we had. We loved it. I was around 12 years old when I began to reflect on the natural beauty of the place, and wondered where Henry David Thoreau's cabin was. It wasn't lost on me that Walden was an inspirational place. I don't think Walden lost anything by providing that swimming area to the couldn't be clearer: They want 'legal' immigrants, not 'illegal' immigrants. This could not be more contradicted by reality if they tried: immigrants with legal residence status are being detained and deported at their immigration hearings, meetings and even citizenship tests. For all we hear about the need for immigrants to 'follow the process,' it is now evident that people like Donald Trump and Stephen Miller want no immigrants of any kind. If the government can detain and deport people with legal status in this country, all of us are at risk. If undocumented people have no right to due process, then the right of any of us to due process is under threat. If the government can send people to Salvadoran prisons, none of us is safe. There is no better way for us to forfeit our rights than by refusing to extend those rights to others. If the government is allowed to take away the rights of one group, it is the epitome of naïveté to think that it can't or won't take away the rights of other groups. Fighting for the rights of immigrants is fighting for your own rights.
Associated Press
39 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Stanley Cup Final shifts to South Florida for Game 3 after the Panthers and Oilers split in Edmonton
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Back in the same locker room that was the scene of Connor McDavid's profanity-laced outburst and the tearful ending to his first Stanley Cup Final, the Edmonton Oilers hope they can avoid the same result this time around. Their next chance to take that step comes Monday night in Game 3 of their final rematch against the Florida Panthers, with play shifting to Sunrise after the teams split in Edmonton. The Oilers practiced in the shadow of the Panthers' championship banner and, afterwards, players stood in the same room McDavid did his post-Game 7 interview at the most disappointing moment of his NHL career. 'I think no matter how much time passes, it'll always be on your mind (when) you get that close,' coach Kris Knoblauch said. 'We're at a new stage of our season or our path, and we're just focused on what we need to do right now.' The Panthers won three of their four home games in the final last year, including the first two on the way to going up 3-0 in the series. The Oilers took Games 4 and 6 in Edmonton and Game 5 at Florida before their gut-wrenching loss in Game 7. This is also not their first trip back. They got that out of the way Feb. 27 and are very familiar with the arena thanks to last June. 'Absolutely, there's a comfort level in that, and there's a benefit in that,' forward Connor Brown said. 'You kind of know what to expect, you've been here and so you learn from experience, too. To be able to kind of have had to earn that experience last year, I think we'll benefit from it this year.' The Panthers went 27-12-2 at home during the regular season and 4-3 during the playoffs. 'It's never bad being in your own bed, have a nice home-cooked meal,' Florida's Sam Reinhart said. 'I mean, once the puck drops, you might use the crowd a little bit. You might have that little extra energy. But at this time, it's the two best teams that are left standing. Once that puck drops, it's going to be a real battle regardless.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
