The Philadelphia Flyers are going to at least get involved a couple times this week as Friday’s NHL trade deadline approaches. They don’t have a boatload of players to sell, and aren’t in a position to buy as they try to cement a spot in the playoffs, but they will continue planning for the long-term success of this team and building more and more towards that.
One name that could be on the move, as you can tell by just looking at the homepage of Broad Street Hockey dot com, is defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. The 31-year-old’s name keeps on popping up in rumors as one of the bigger blueliners available and someone the Flyers could part with for some future assets.
The reporting has been consistent: The Flyers want a first-round pick in return for Ristolainen or some picks and prospects of equivalent value. It makes loads of sense, since that is what they were able to snag for both defenseman Sean Walker and center Scott Laughton at the past two trade deadlines. But we want to focus on the latter part of that ask.
A team giving up a first-round pick for Ristolainen might feel like something that would be heavily criticized by that team’s fan base — as we’re seeing in Toronto right now with both the Laughton and Brandon Carlo deals. So, it is a possibility that the Flyers would get some collection of assets that equate to the same value but aren’t as big and shiny.
They will almost certainly want some sort of prospect in return, but it’s also hard to imagine that the Flyers would be able to get a team’s best or even second-best prospect for the large Finnish rearguard. But a step below that? Now we’re talking.
It’s not always fun to get your hopes up about your favorite team landing a very good young player in return for a deadline trade, so we wanted to scour in the depth charts and look at what prospects the Flyers might target as part of the return for Ristolainen.
Emil Hemming, RW — Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars feel like a big player in the potential Ristolainen sweepstakes. While multiple reports are saying they are cautious to acquire any player with term due to needing to re-sign Jason Robertson — Ristolainen is signed through next season — one acquisition of depth defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin (for example) who is also signed through next season, could solve that issue.
Emil Hemming comes to mind as a player the Stars might be fine with moving. The 29th overall selection from two years ago is certainly a top prospect, but also not on the same level as others that have come through the Stars system like Mavrik Bourque. The 19-year-old Finnish winger is playing his second year with the OHL’s Barrie Colts and currently has 22 goals and 56 points in 38 games for a very good junior team.
He profiles as a strong winger with some power to his game and with a top-tier shot. If the Flyers get him, it wouldn’t be surprising if he was the entire return for Ristolainen as one of the better prospects on this list.
Amadeus Lombardi, C — Detroit Red Wings
For the Red Wings, they seem to be very in the mix for a right-handed blueliner and Ristolainen feels like a very natural fit there as a physical presence — and a tall guy to add to their other tall guys.
They have drafted so much and while some would really clamor for the Flyers to get back some top prospects like Carter Bear, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, or Nate Danielson in return for Ristolainen; we have to remind ourselves we’re talking about a No. 4 or 5 defenseman at his peak. So, on to the next tier.
Amadeus Lombardi is an extremely fun player that played as high-pace as anyone in junior hockey when he was there a couple years ago. After turning pro, he has steadily grown and is now, at 22 years old, scoring a point per game in the AHL and now driving play better than he was just a year ago.
AMADEUS LOMBARDI OT GWG🚨🚨 short side top shelf!! His second goal of the game. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/zUmd4nqgGD
— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) February 22, 2026
He feels more like a hit-or-miss prospect right now and the Red Wings surely don’t have the time to try and develop him further or give him the opportunity in the NHL. He doesn’t have the foundation like a Jett Luchanko, for example, who should be an NHL center no matter what and it only depends on how much his offensive game develops — Lombardi is going to be a scorer and has shown immense skill at every level.
He might be a solid second-line center who scores, or might never escape the AHL. It feels like a bet to make for Philadelphia.
Anton Wahlberg, C — Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres bringing Ristolainen back would just be pure comedy. We need it so badly. Ristolainen would secure a whole lot of that back end as the other highly skilled blueliners fly around him. It makes sense.
Anton Wahlberg could be someone the Flyers get back in return and it would make sense. The 2023 second-round pick is a 6-foot-3 center who is in his second full season of the AHL at just 20 years old and not looking out of place. He has six goals and 25 points in 48 games this season — not crazy numbers or anything but for his age, they’re totally respectable.
Watching some Anton Wahlberg
— A a r o n (@23sabres) April 4, 2024
He’s good pic.twitter.com/LDeqabo444
And for his size, Wahlberg is a good skater. He’s been offensively consistent throughout the years and scouts generally say that he makes his linemates better — and that just sounds perfect.
Since the Flyers most certainly cannot snag the likes of Konsta Helenius or Radim Mrtka in this deal, a mid-level prospect like Wahlberg that still has some enticing abilities, could make sense.
Owen Beck, C — Montreal Canadiens
Montreal needs some rough physicality on their blue line and Ristolainen can bring it. They’ve had previous conversations regarding the large Finnish man going up north to Montreal, but it has not progressed to actual traction on a trade, yet.
As for prospects, Owen Beck feels like a logical target. He’s on the older side at 22 years old and his production has stagnated but the 6-foot centerman has speed to burn and can certainly throw his body around. All throughout juniors, scouts praised his transitional game and how much of the offense ran through him as he made stops in Mississauga, Peterborough, and Saginaw.
Beck had a 44-point campaign in his rookie AHL season but it has now dropped to just eight goals and 22 points in 42 games this season. It feels like he needs to escape that organization to really flourish and maybe he can join the crew of potential future Flyers pivots soon.
Matthew Poitras, C — Boston Bruins
The Bruins do not want to rebuild and Ristolainen is someone that would make their blue line beefy for the next couple of seasons — and hey, maybe we’ll finally experience Playoff Risto but on the Big Bad Bruins.
Matthew Poitras feels like a good target. He’s a higher-end prospect that could be the entire return for someone like Ristolainen, but he’s a center that has consistently scored at the pro level and at just 21 years old, has so much runway. The Whitby, Ont. native hasn’t had a whole lot of NHL opportunity this season after playing 33 games for the Bruins last year, but has scored 31 points in 49 games for Providence instead.
He has the soft skill needed to be a scoring middle-six center, but also the details of someone responsible enough to make an impact if scoring doesn’t pan out. It would be interesting if the Flyers do target someone like Poitras, who feels like he just needs consistency somewhere.
