The Philadelphia Flyers are heavily involved in trade discussions as we are just several hours away from the NHL trade deadline at 3:00 p.m. and are reportedly asking for a whole lot for one specific player.
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, in conversations with other teams about a Rasmus Ristolainen trade, the Flyers are asking for a package in return that includes a first-round pick, a prospect, and a roster player.
Flyers update. Big ask on Ristolainen. 1st, prospect and player. Decent chance he stays in Philly. Hard to replace. Teams that missed on Nelson are circling on Laughton and the price is a haul.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) March 7, 2025
While it seems like a demand that is doomed to fail, given several pieces of context, the Flyers might be more than warranted to ask for that much in return for the hulking defenseman.
Ristolainen is under contract for two more seasons with a fairly understandable $5.1 million AAV — a typical rate for a defenseman that is certainly in a decent team’s top four and on a team with Stanley Cup aspirations is in one of the best bottom pairings in the league. That level of cost certainty and not having to think about replacing a player like him, is certainly valuable.
And then throw in the fact that a blueliner like Jake Walman (who had a second-round pick attached to him to dump from Detroit less than a year ago) just got traded to the Edmonton Oilers for a first-round pick and a mid-level prospect, that gives the Flyers even more of an advantage in discussions. With Walman off the board as well, who is left that is not a pure rental defenseman, that can truly help a playoff team other than Ristolainen? Not a whole lot.
So for the Flyers to pry away a player that could certainly still have use to them to solidify their blue line — and no young prospect is banging down the door to replace everything that Ristolainen does on the ice — it is going to take a significant haul.
Ristolainen has been connected to the Winnipeg Jets and the Toronto Maple Leafs previously; two teams who are under a whole lot of pressure to do something. So while it might seem like the Flyers are going to keep Ristolainen past the deadline right now, all it takes is one phone call to change the situation. If not, the Flyers are more than happy to keep the serviceable blueliner and check in with teams again this summer.
