Flyers Officially Place Ristolainen on IR, Recall Defenseman from Lehigh Valley

The Philadelphia Flyers have officially placed defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen on injured reserve on Saturday, retroactive to January 14th, with an upper-body injury.

Ristolainen has been sidelined with an upper-body injury since before the game against the Sabres, in which he was a late scratch. Earlier on Saturday, Flyers’ head coach Rick Tocchet said that Ristolainen will not be traveling with the team as they go out west.

That said, the move makes sense, with the Flyers not returning from their trip until Monday, the 26th, when they take on the New York Islanders at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Even without the retroactive placement, Ristolainen would be eligible to return by then. With the retroactive placement, the defenseman is eligible to return on Wednesday, January 21st, for the Flyers’ game vs. the Mammouth. However, with him not traveling, that will not be a possibility.

In 13 games, Ristolainen has 3 assists. He returned from an upper-body injury (right tricep) in the latter half of December.

Read More: Flyers Injury Update: Brink Nearing Return, an Update on Vladar, & Uncertainty on Ristolainen

Flyers give Hunter McDonald the Call

In a corresponding move, the Flyers have recalled defenseman Hunter McDonald from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL.

McDonald is in his third season with the Phantoms, and his second full year. He was a 4th-round draft pick by the Flyers in 2022 and played college hockey at Northeastern.

The 23-year-old defenseman has 5 assists in 33 games in the AHL this season, and 4 goals and 26 points in 115 AHL games.

He is set to fill the Ristolainen role as the big, physical, defensive defenseman. McDonald, a left-shot, comes in at 6’4″.

With the team leaving for their trip out West immediately after Saturday’s game, McDonald was in the executive suite for the game before being officially recalled.

I got the chance to see him in the pressbox, and man, is he a large human. I am 6’4″ myself, and man, did standing next to him make me feel small. McDonald will bring a physical presence, which I am excited to watch.

McDonald has yet to appear in an NHL game, so if he appears in a game in Ristolainen’s absence, he will make his NHL debut.

Read More: Flyers Captain Blunt After Embarrassing Sixth-Straight Loss