NHL Insider Foreshadows Potential Rasmus Ristolainen Trade

When there’s smoke, there’s fire. And there’s certainly smoke around Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who is off to a great start in the 2024-25 season and apparently generating some early NHL trade buzz.

In his latest “32 Thoughts” column, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman told a story about how Matvei Michkov ditched one of his fellow Russian Flyers for a day after losing in a game of ping pong. Friedman then explained that Michkov being benched was nothing serious, just something that the Flyers needed to get out of the way.

What followed next was both interesting and unrelated to that note on the Flyers.

“Something else about Philadelphia: a couple people credited associate coach Brad Shaw for his work with Rasmus Ristolainen — and Ristolainen for accepting the teaching,” Friedman wrote. “His stick, in particular, is much improved.”

Strange, isn’t it? Most people who have followed the Flyers closely know that Ristolainen has improved in his own zone immensely since John Tortorella and Brad Shaw came to town, and there is no question that the 30-year-old is now a reliable top-four defenseman.

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At 6-foot-4, Ristolainen has the size you can’t teach. He’s physical, he blocks shots, and he even has experience running an NHL power play.

Despite all that, Ristolainen has been mired in trade rumors, regardless of his strong play, because the Flyers are rebuilding and he is on the wrong side of 30.

But when there’s smoke…

Flyers could trade Rasmus Ristolainen

Was Friedman planting a seed for a potential Flyers trade down the road? Possibly!

On Pattinson’s Anthony SanFilippo reported, from Turks and Caicos, that Ristolainen is, in fact, gathering trade interest around the NHL, and the Flyers have yet to receive a good enough offer to part ways with him.

A little bit of Flyers news from poolside in Turks and Caicos. Some stuff for my friends at @SnowTheGoalie and @OnPattison to discuss while I’m away. I’m sure @JoyOnBroad @ctherien6 and @internandrew will have more on this on Saturday. #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/9igMD6kPIu

— Anthony SanFilippo (@AntSanPhilly) November 14, 2024

“While Danny Briere was the general managers’ meeting, I was told that there was a lot of interest in Rasmus Ristolainen,” SanFilippo revealed. “When I say a lot of interest – a lot of teams kicking tires, asking questions, maybe making some opening offers. I’m told that the Flyers have not gotten anything they think is of good value just yet.

“I get a sense that, sometime between the start of the New Year and June, sometime in that six-month range, the Flyers will move Rasmus Ristolainen.”

SanFilippo did note that the Flyers may have to retain salary on Ristolainen’s contract or risk pushing trade talks into the offseason, which would prove to be a tough obstacle to clear for both sides.

Ristolainen has three years remaining on his contract, including this season, at a $5.1 million cap hit. Tony DeAngelo’s $1.667 million buyout cap hit will come off the books at the end of this season, but the Flyers will still owe Kevin Hayes $3.571 million and Cam Atkinson $1.758 million next season.

For a team that is trying to rebuild and get out of an already dire salary cap situation, retaining money for two more years would be a risky choice by the Flyers.

On the other hand, not many teams are going to be able to afford Ristolainen at that cap hit unless the Flyers take a bad contract back.

It’s a complicated situation, but SanFilippo’s corroboration of Friedman’s earlier foreshadowing suggests that there is something concrete to this.