It is never a dull moment in Philadelphia when it pertains to the Philadelphia Flyers and their day-to-day activities. Their most recent extension to Christian Dvorak raised a lot of eyebrows and now, according to DFO’s Anthony Di Marco, they’re entertaining the idea of trading Rasmus Ristolainen.
As has been the case with nearly every player that has found their way onto the trading block in Philadelphia, a trade will only materialize if another team meets the Flyers’ lofty asking price. In this case that would be a first round pick, a mid-round pick, and a lesser prospect, which is what Ben Chiarot cost the Florida Panthers in 2022.
Since the beginning of the season, the Flyers front office has been fairly straightforward in what their plans are going to be moving forward. The subtraction phase is essentially over, and they’re now in the business of making additions, as long as it makes sense for the current core and the future.
The Flyers feel that Dvorak’s 5-year extension helps them in the present and the future, as he has acclimated himself with the new coaching staff, the core players, and more importantly, he is a centre, which is something the organization lacks from the NHL-level down to juniors.
So, it’s interesting that less than 24 hours later, there’s a report that the Flyers could entertain offers on Ristolainen. Daniel Brière has been on record stating several times that trading Sean Walker ahead of the trade deadline in 2023-24 was a move that hampered the club. They spiralled out of a playoff spot after losing such a key player on the back end that they could not replace.
Brière and Keith Jones admitted that it was a difficult move to make, but it was one that had to be done with an eye towards drafting and future assets. They received a first round pick, which many believed was not possible, but now we find ourselves in a similar position with Ristolainen.
The Flyers are third in the Metropolitan Division with a 22-12-7 record, 6th in the Eastern Conference, and 9th league-wide. They are only 1 point behind the New York Islanders for second place with 2 games in hand, 4 points behind Carolina for first with 2 games in hand, and 4 points behind Tampa Bay for tops in the conference with 1 game in hand – not to mention having a key back-to-back upcoming this weekend against them.
That would point towards the Flyers looking to add, or at the very least staying put, with eyes towards the post-season. However, Di Marco intimates that the Flyers losing Ristolainen might not have the same adverse effects as losing Walker, since they were already without the Olympian for 2 months.
Now, if someone is actually willing to pay up a first round pick, a mid-round draft pick, and a prospect for Ristolainen, it’s something the Flyers should definitely consider. Ristolainen isn’t a rental as he still carries an extra year of term beyond this season, and his $5.1 million cap hit is no longer an anchor with the cap going to $104 million next year.
Can the Flyers afford to lose a defensemen of his ilk, however? While they did survive the first two months without him, the Flyers would seemingly have to rely more on Nick Seeler, Noah Juulsen, and minor leaguers like Ty Murchison.
In the 10 games that he’s played since his return, Ristolainen has notched 2 assists, a plus-3 rating, 21 blocked shots, 13 hits, and an ATOI well above 20 minutes per game. With Jamie Drysdale forced out of last night’s game against Anaheim, Ristolainen saw 24:05 TOI and was a monster on the ice with 6 blocked shots, 1 hit, and 4 shots on goal.
The Flyers are also 6-3-1 with him back in the lineup, and because he is eating a lot of important minutes, that has given players like Drysdale, Travis Sanheim and Cam York a bit of a reprieve after a busy first half to the season.
In the first 31 games without Ristolainen in the lineup, Sanheim averaged 25:27 TOI, including 31:06 the game before he made his return. Since then, Sanheim has averaged 21:22, and hasn’t seen anything over 23:30 minutes outside of last night’s game. Same can be said about York, who was averaging 24:24 before Ristolainen’s return and 21:13 since.
His importance to the team’s success cannot be understated and it’s such a feel good story considering how his tenure with the Flyers began. He was acquired in a draft day deal that angered the majority of the fanbase, before getting a 5-year extension mid-season instead of being flipped at the trade deadline as a rental.
Whatever John Tortorella and Brad Shaw did with him worked like a charm as he has become one of the more sturdy defensive defensemen in the league. He can be trusted in all situations, has become a great penalty killer, and is no longer focusing on the offensive side of things, which has unlocked a different role for the former first rounder.
During his heyday in Buffalo, Ristolainen was a consistent 40-point scorer and quarterback of the top unit on the power play. When he lost his role to Rasmus Dahlin, he looked like a shell of his former self, and the same could have been said about his role in Philadelphia until Tortorella and Shaw got their hands on him.
If the Flyers were serious about moving him, this year would be the best time to do it, to maximize his value and contract. There are plenty of teams that could use his newfound acumen, and as Di Marco mentions, the Flyers aren’t against retaining cap either to receive a better package.
They have one retention slot left this year, and both Kevin Hayes and Scott Laughton will come off the books next year.
It would be a mistake if the Flyers are trying to make the playoffs, which is definitely the goal from the front office, coaching staff, and the players themselves. Unless they have a viable replacement ready that can eat 22-24 minutes a night, kill penalties, play the power play occasionally, and provide a physical threat, then by all means recoup as many assets as possible.
Additionally, Di Marco mentions that the Flyers are going to look towards the market to add ahead of the trade deadline, but it would be for depth purposes, primarily on the fourth line, as well as a similar addition to when they acquired Erik Johnson a few years ago.
“Conversely to all this, I do expect the Flyers to keep their eyes open for an addition ahead of the deadline. We shouldn’t get too ahead of ourselves, as I’m told the Flyers will not be in bidding wars for the top rentals in deals that could sacrifice the future. But they will be looking around to add on the margins should they still be in the thick of a playoff race in a month’s time.
“If the Flyers are to make an addition, it will likely be for a fourth-line center to upgrade over (Latvian Olympian) Rodrigo Abols. The fourth line has been better as of late with Carl Grundstrom’s strong play, but it is still something my gut tells me the Flyers would like to address – at the right cost. One source pointed to the Erik Johnson addition as one they could look at in regards to what they are willing to give up; the veteran blueliner was acquired for a fourth-round pick in 2024.”
If that is the case and then end up moving Ristolainen, whole adding a depth defender to take his spot on the blue line, it could be tough sledding for the bottom pair that would revolve around Seeler, Juulsen, and whoever they add.
It’s not a move that needs to be done and it could send the wrong message to the dressing room as they have played some of the best hockey we’ve seen from a Philadelphia based team since 2019-20. Brière has shown that he gets top value for his players, and he’s willing to wait as long as possible to pull the trigger, so it will be interesting to see how he operates this year.
It has now become a situation worth monitoring, as I believe not many had this on their radar with how the team has performed up to this point. Again, they’re not on the verge of pulling the trigger on the deal, but they’re still listening and entertaining the idea, which is more than we expected to say the least.
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