After the Philadelphia Flyers made the first trade of the NHL offseason on Tuesday, acquiring goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit from the Toronto Maple Leafs, there is an innate feeling that suddenly a wave of moves are going to be made between now and the 2026 NHL Draft. So, why not think about some potential fits for arguably the likeliest member of the Flyers to be traded?
Rasmus Ristolainen is not guaranteed to be traded before next season. With one year left on his contract at a reasonable $5.1-million AAV, he can comfortably stay in Philadelphia and be a solid top-four blueliner. He gives a whole lot of what the Flyers want, with his size and familiarity with Rick Tocchet’s systems, that the team will be comfortable having him not moved at all.
That’s why he wasn’t moved at last season’s trade deadline. Despite there being offers, the Flyers held firm to their asking price of a first-round pick and a prospect; and they are now going to hold firm to that asking price once again this summer.
Even with all that, the Flyers are looking to upgrade their blue line and while Benoit gives a whole lot more physicality and height and ability to punch people’s faces than the departing Emil Andrae, it is not necessarily an upgrade at all, let alone the upgrade that would take this new playoff team back into the playoffs again next year. So, a move of Ristolainen going out to then make way for this hypothetical upgrade on the blue line makes all the sense in the world.
But who are the teams that could be a great trade partner for the Flyers to move Ristolainen for the price that they’re asking for? We can think of a few.
Ottawa Senators
All the noise that is coming out of Ottawa lately is that they are looking for a top-six forward and a right-handed defenseman this summer. Well, the Flyers can solve one of their problems fairly easily.
The Senators were linked to Ristolainen around the trade deadline just months ago, so it would make sense for them to still be interested. And adding that 6-foot-4 frame next to someone like Thomas Chabot or Jake Sanderson could theoretically bring them a whole lot of stability that they desire. Artem Zub can only take them so far as someone playing big minutes.
Unfortunately, because of the Evgenii Dadonov disaster and the fallout, the Senators’ 32nd-overall pick that they “won back” after being originally told to hand over a first-round pick as their punishment, cannot be traded. So that pick is out of the question. But does something like their 2027 first-round pick and 24-year-old, 6-foot-5, left-handed defenseman Tyler Kleven, get the ball rolling? We’re just speculating, but that package could be something the Flyers are interested in.
Montreal Canadiens
Just like Ottawa, the Montreal Canadiens have also been linked to Ristolainen and were reportedly deep in some trade talks to acquire him at the deadline last March. With no additional moves yet, it would also be expected that they can pick that phone up again and ring Danny Briere about the large Finnish rearguard.
The Canadiens have the 28th overall pick next week and that is certainly a starting point on any deal involving Ristolainen. And while Montreal certainly has several prospects that would be of interest to the Flyers, it’s hard to see them parting ways with their top tier of youngsters in addition to a first-rounder. So, maybe throw in something like a 22-year-old center prospect Owen Beck and that can be a package we all nod along to and approve of. Not the prettiest or most enticing, but something that the Flyers have been asking for and they got.
And then for Montreal to have a right side of the blue line that features Noah Dobson, Alexandre Carrier, and Ristolainen; that’s just the cost of doing business. Or Lane Hutson can be involved too on his off side, of course. Whatever they want to do.
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks are in desperate need for any help on defense. They have a couple solid prospects in Sam Dickinson and Shakir Mukhamadullin, but nothing of the way of true top-four NHL talent, especially with Mario Ferraro leaving in free agency. They are clamoring for just about any help whatsoever — whether that is veteran assistance from Morgan Rielly or Darnell Nurse in big cap dump trades, or maybe something a little more suitable for a team actually trying to make the playoffs.
Ristolainen being added to the Sharks would just be one of the most ideal steps for San Jose to take. We’ve seen it already just how much of a playoff performer Ristolainen can be, and he showed up during the Olympics. Sharks general manager Mike Grier might just instantly make the connection of wanting to get into the playoffs and make some noise, and getting someone who did exactly that in Philadelphia.
The Sharks want to turn the corner and Ristolainen can do that so well. And, there’s no big commitment. Rielly and Nurse both have four years left on their deals. If they don’t pan out, that can prevent San Jose from taking a step forward or signing Macklin Celebrini to that max-term contract. If Ristolainen kind of sucks, they can just wipe their hands clean of that player and learn from their mistakes.
But what does a trade look like? The Sharks do have the Oilers’ pick at 20th overall next week and that could realistically be almost the entire return for Ristolainen. It wouldn’t be all that terrible to just hand that over and the Flyers suddenly have back-to-back selections in the first round, or ammunition to move up a dozen or so spots to grab a falling prospect in the top 15.
Edmonton Oilers
Ah, the Oilers. Edmonton is in desperate need of some clear guidance. They have the doomsday clock ticking away as Connor McDavid gave them two years to figure their stuff out or he’s packing his bags and leaving. And with that pressure, all they have done is crumble. So, how about they add a big, physical Finnish defenseman?
The Oilers do have just over $14.5-million in cap space to basically bring in at least one more defenseman, two more forwards, and a backup goalie. If they find the right bargain deals, something can work out. But, they do have the perfect amount of room for Ristolainen.
Edmonton acquired Connor Murphy at the trade deadline last year, but now he might be licking his chops as he heads into free agency and price himself out of a return to the Oilers. Now, a short-term commitment on a $5.1-million defenseman might serve them well.
As for what they can give up, they don’t have a first-round pick until 2028, but that also can serve as the Flyers’ need to get a first-round pick no matter what — just like they did in the Scott Laughton deal, they can get a first-rounder two years away. And then maybe throw in Isaac Howard to balance the value and the Flyers can be cooking here.
Or, at least it’s just the 2028 first-round pick and we wipe our hands clean.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Finally, we can see a world where the Lightning see Ristolainen as a main target. Darren Raddysh has surely priced himself out of a return to Tampa — the latest report has the Lightning offering him a mid-term deal with a $5.75-million AAV, and that is nowhere close to what he is going to get in free agency on July 1.
Ristolainen will obvious not be a direct replacement for Raddysh, since he doesn’t have the power-play acumen like the pending free agent, but it’s not like he hasn’t played there before. It would not be the best option for a team wanting to win another Stanley Cup, but it also wouldn’t be the worst since Nikita Kucherov is there after all and Raddysh did not show any of this ability before arriving in Florida, either.
The Lightning have over $13 million in cap space with basically an entire roster signed. A lot of their current guys are more AHL tweeners who could be sent down to the minor leagues if they get an upgrade, but also not the worst option to have. Adding Ristolainen would certainly give them another solid option and could just directly replace Raddysh’s usage and most likely not be a big downgrade — giving them a replacement that would come at a much lower price, so then they can use that other available cap space for upgrades elsewhere.
Tampa does not have their first-round pick until 2028, but again, it could be an easy cost to get something two years away. They also have an interesting center prospect in Conor Geekie who fits the Flyers’ mold of being a massive guy with some hands, and he could easily be the main part of the return. Something like Geekie and their 2026 second-round pick at 58th overall could be the basic structure of a deal that would benefit both teams.
