The NHL trade deadline is coming hot and fast and by Friday afternoon, every single team will need to have wrapped up all their mid-season business as they get ready to move onto the offseason. For the Philadelphia Flyers, this means taking advantage of some teams eyeing up their players as they are set to miss the playoffs for the sixth year in a row, and others are pushing towards the Stanley Cup.
One player that could certainly be on the move, is veteran defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. The 31-year-old had a massive performance at the Olympics and with a clean bill of health and another year left on his contract with a reasonable $5.1-million AAV, it sure seems like teams are circling in to nab the rugged rearguard.
We already have seen several teams specifically named who could possibly be, and confirmed are, interested in Ristolainen and getting him before the trade deadline. The Boston Bruins and the Edmonton Oilers were named by Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco as teams who Flyers general manager Danny Briere has had conversations with regarding Ristolainen. And further speculation suggests that teams like the Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Detroit Red Wings — who could all use more help on the right side of their blue lines — are other teams who could have had some chats.
But thanks to a recent report, we have yet another team who is interested in the 31-year-old from Finland.
Flyers, Canadiens had chat regarding possible Rasmus Ristolainen trade
On Friday’s episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Elliotte Friedman every so briefly mentioned that the Montreal Canadiens have looked at Ristolainen as an option on the back end. It was nothing more than just stating that report, but it was interesting enough to perk up some ears.
Shortly after, RG’s Marco D’Amico expanded on that tidbit of information.
“In the Canadiens’ pursuit of more sandpaper and size throughout their lineup, Ristolainen certainly fit the profile, but sources indicate that the interest was in the form of a very short call between both teams,” D’Amico wrote.
“The Canadiens simply called to gauge the price point for Ristolainen in the event that he could be had at a bargain, as the Flyers have been trying to move him for the better part of a year. … Needless to say, the Canadiens do not feel they’re a Ristolainen away from being a contender in the playoffs, and sources indicate the conversation was very brief between both sides.”
While the conversation was reportedly brief and it was to gauge the price that it would take to secure Ristolainen and bring him to Montreal (which the Canadiens seem to not be willing to pay) it is notable that the Flyers are receiving calls from all across the NHL about the player. Now, general managers have conversations about players almost every single day but as the trade deadline nears, the Canadiens might just be desperate enough to eventually pay that asking price.
There are certainly lots of defensemen available, and that has been something brought up as to why the Flyers could find it challenging to trade Ristolainen, but they appear to be standing extremely firm in their ask. The Flyers want something in the realm of what the Bruins got for Brandon Carlo last season: A first-round pick, a B-level prospect like Fraser Minten, and some other mid-round draft pick. It seems like a logical ask — and now that we’ve seen Briere be able to stay firm and get the first-rounders for the likes of Scott Laughton and Sean Walker in years past, we don’t think he’s going to soften the demand.
There is a world where the Canadiens return. Defensemen come off the board in a domino effect, possibly starting as soon as Tyler Myers is traded soon, and then teams who want to take advantage of them finding themselves in a playoff spot (especially in the soft Eastern Conference) could be desperate and pay the asking price if Ristolainen is the best option left. And with names like Luke Schenn, Logan Stanley, and Myers being the examples to be moved, Ristolainen is surely the best option there.
Montreal does have all of its first-round picks for the foreseeable future, and a boatload of intriguing mid-level prospects, such as centers Owen Beck and Logan Swayer, and defenseman Adam Engstrom, who could be added to the deal.
We’ll have to see in the coming days whether a deal comes to fruition, but there seem to at least be several options for the Flyers to take and maybe they can squeeze out a first-rounder from one of the interested parties.
