As the trade deadline approaches, the one Flyer whose name continues to be brought up again and again as a trade asset, is Rasmus Ristolainen.
The 31-year-old Finnish defender has once again seen his stock rise heading into deadline day, after his play in the Olympics helped Finland secure a bronze medal and showcased his ability to play a more rugged, playoff style. At the NHL level, Ristolainen has seemed to have recovered from the host of injuries that have plagued him over the past year and change, and looks healthy enough to be relied upon, at least for the rest of the year.
His $5.1 million dollar contract runs until the end of 2026-27, and with that next year of control currently still intact, it potentially makes for a tantalizing return if Danny Briere decides to send Ristolainen elsewhere. With the Flyers on the outskirts of the playoff picture, and without a real path to competing at this stage, Ristolainen seems to be surplus to requirements, especially given the fact that resigning him would just take up more salary cap space that will be needed sooner rather than later.
But if Ristolainen was to be shipped off at this deadline, it would leave a hole in the Flyers defensive pairs that will have to be filled, at least for the time being. Ristolainen has played over 20 minutes for each of his last seven games, and he does function as one of the Flyers’ more important defensive defenders.
If the veteran defenseman was to depart Philadelphia, it would mean that someone like Nick Seeler would probably see some more important defensive zone shifts and assignments, as the natural like-for-like replacement for that style. It would also likely bring Noah Juulsen back into the fold as a semi-regular for the same purpose, while Emil Andrae would more than likely retain his spot as one of the six defensemen.
As for the seventh defender role, there are a few names that the Flyers could call upon for the time being. Someone like Oliver Bonk will likely get a chance to start with the team out of camp next year, but it doesn’t seem likely that the organization would want to bring Bonk up to just play a bit part role for the rest of a lost season. Adam Ginning was recently called up, and it looks like he may be the first one to get a crack as the extra man if Ristolainen was to be traded. But the Flyers have shown throughout the year that they aren’t married to the idea of Ginning as an NHLer, given that he hasn’t played a game with the team since October.
Christian Kyrou is a name that has popped up a couple times due to his high-end point production at the AHL level, but his skillset really doesn’t fit with what the Flyers and Rick Tocchet will be looking for to replace Ristolainen. Helge Grans and Hunter McDonald seem to have fallen a bit off the radar as players with NHL potential, and Ty Murchison remains injured at least for the time being. There aren’t a ton of internal options on defense at the moment that are really tantalizing.
Of course, this all hinges on the return that Ristolainen fetches; and if the Flyers are able to bring in a third pair defender as part of the package, then they’ll have another option as a stop gap. But until the deadline passes, there’s still a lot to be determined.
