With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, one of the top names reportedly available is Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. It has previously been reported that several teams have checked in on Ristolainen’s status, including the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, and Edmonton Oilers. Yesterday, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reported “momentum is building toward a Ristolainen trade.”
While significant attention has been paid to where the Flyers might trade Ristolainen, less has been paid to what the Flyers might be seeking. Kurz shed some light on that, writing that GM Daniel Briere would need a first-round pick as part of the package just “to consider it.” 
Kurz also added that “it’s likely that Briere is looking at the trade for Brandon Carlo last season” as a comparable in terms of value to Ristolainen.
That’s something Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco reported earlier this week, and Kurz’s reporting confirms that the Flyers are extremely unlikely to trade Ristolainen unless that kind of package is received.
What Kurz reported that is notable is that the Flyers’ trade work might not end with Ristolainen, and it might not even involve selling.
According to Kurz, “the Flyers are willing to part with draft picks and/or prospects in the system in order to try and find a player or two who can help them in the immediate future.” That’s a notable thing, as the Flyers are currently outside the playoff picture, and have not reached the playoffs since the bubble in Toronto in 2020. They don’t have the profile of a team that would typically surrender future assets for “win-now” players.
This suggests that there could be some pressure in Philadelphia for a quick turnaround, they may not have an appetite to trend further into a rebuild-like direction. With the emergence of Daniel Vladar as a reliable No. 1 goalie, the Flyers’ immediate need for a goalie does not appear as pronounced. Instead, the team’s most significant organizational need is a true No. 1 center. Recent first-round picks Jett Luchanko and Jack Nesbitt are not projected by most scouts to be top-line pivots, so that remains a key organizational building block that is missing.
Whether the Flyers will be able to acquire a No. 1 center without trending further into a rebuild is up in the air. But it appears, at least as far as the next week is concerned, that the team might be looking at a Ristolainen trade as a legitimate, impactful opportunity to add high-end assets to help in their chase of such a player.
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