The Philadelphia Flyers are not actively shopping defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, however, that hasn’t stopped teams from calling Flyers general manager Daniel Briere (as per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia). Briere has praised the 30-year-old’s work saying that he’s been good for Philadelphia, and they are in no rush to move him.
Ristolainen has never been an analytics darling and has battled injuries in the past, however, his overall play has improved as of late leading to speculation that Philadelphia would try to cash out while his value is high. The 2013 eighth-overall pick has some term remaining on his contract (two years at $5.1MM) and would not be a rental for any team that acquires him.
Right-shot defensemen are always in demand, and Ristolainen has good size and decent skating ability, even if there are obvious shortcomings to his game. He’s certainly been guilty in the past of defensive lapses and overplaying the puck, but he has sacrificed his offensive numbers in favor of playing a more simplified game the past few seasons. Despite the change in Ristolainen’s numbers, his strengths and weaknesses haven’t changed over the years. He can hit, skate and shoot but is abysmal at retrieving the puck in the defensive zone and struggles when trying to move the puck out of his zone. Any change of environment likely won’t change what he is, meaning that any acquiring team will have to be conscious of Ristolainen’s limitations.
In 47 games this season, the Turku, Finland native has posted a single goal and 11 assists while averaging 20:35 of ice time per game. He has also registered 77 hits, 74 blocked shots and a 0 plus/minus.