Projecting A Rasmus Ristolainen Trade

Photo Courtesy of Yong Kim, Philadelphia Inquirer

With the March 21st Trade Deadline approaching, an interesting player to keep an eye on moving forward is Rasmus Ristolainen. The veteran defender is set to become an Unrestricted Free Agent come July 13th. Naturally as he is not under contract going into next season, trade rumors surrounding the towering defenseman have begun to mount.

It was reported by numerous media outlets earlier this season that due to the price paid to acquire Ristolainen from the Sabres by General Manager Chuck Fletcher last off-season (2021 1st round pick, 2023 2nd round pick, Robert Hagg) the executive would rather re-sign Ristolainen than trade him. Anthony SanFilippo also reported on the most recent episode of the Snow The Goalie podcast that the Flyers offered Ristolainen a 6 year deal with a cap hit of 6.3 million dollars a season. Which the defenseman decided to turn down.

As a result, it’s likely Ristolainen wants to test the free agent market this summer. The logical route for the Flyers to take with the trade deadline looming is to try and trade Ristolainen to a playoff team or a team in the playoff mix. This is a must for the Flyers front office staff as they gave up some valuable assets to acquire Ristolainen.

Taking into consideration the assets the Flyers parted with to obtain Ristolainen, as well as, the fact he reportedly turned down a significant contract extension offer. It only cements the fact the Flyers need to move on from the veteran defenseman and trade him either at the Trade Deadline or in the next few weeks leading up to it. Recouping something of value for a pending free agent in Ristolainen is important for the franchise’s future. They need to stockpile as much assets, draft capital and cap space possible heading into this upcoming off-season. Therefore ensuring the team has flexibility going forward relating to their off-season outlook. 

What Could A Rasmus Ristolainen Trade Look Like?

When dissecting what a trade could look like based on the defenseman’s size, physicality and how the veteran’s style of play may translate to playoff hockey, Ristolainen will likely be a sought after asset by a handful of playoff teams. Due to the bidding war that could possibly ensue for Ristolainen’s services it should allow the Flyers to at least partially recoup some of the assets they initially gave up to acquire Ristolainen. 

Additionally, as it gets closer to the Trade Deadline there is also a possibility that as other attractive defensive options in play such as Jakub Chychyrn and Ben Chiarot are traded Ristolainen’s value could rise due to being the only legitimate top four defenseman left available on the trade market. Obviously, it would take special circumstances for a situation like that to occur however, it is still a reality that could potentially come to fruition.

Ultimately, when projecting what a Rasmus Ristolainen Trade Deadline deal may bring return wise it’s likely the Flyers receive a late 1st round pick from a playoff team for the defenseman. It is plausible they could get more in a trade, such as a 1st round pick and a 3rd round pick or as a replacement for the 3rd round pick, a B-level to C-level prospect. Though the extra pick or prospect included would likely mean a bidding war takes place at the Trade Deadline for teams interested in adding Ristolainen to their roster. 

In terms of the rationale behind why Ristolainen should fetch a return in proximity to the proposal mentioned above, looking at past trade deadline deals solidifies this projection. Players of a similar calibre to Ristolainen’s talent level as a 2nd pairing physical defenseman typically garner interest from several teams and fetch an adequate return. As can be seen from last season’s Trade Deadline where the Tampa Bay Lightning acquired David Savard (another right shot, right side defenseman) from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a 1st round draft pick and 3rd round pick. It could be argued that Ristolainen surpasses Savard’s offensive capabilities considerably and is a player that can match Savard’s defensive play and physicality as well. Putting this into perspective, it is a strong possibility that trading Ristolainen brings back a comparable return to what Columbus attained for Savard. 

Final Thoughts

Moving forward as the Trade Deadline draws increasingly imminent, the Philadelphia Flyers and their General Manager Chuck Fletcher have an important few weeks ahead. The team’s position in the standings has assured they’ll be a seller at the trade deadline although, they may attempt to strategically bring in assets that can help the Flyers short term and long term. Mirroring the franchise’s 2006-2007 trade deadline strategy. 

With the team’s lack of young high end talent being quite apparent. Securing maximum value in trades for their pending unrestricted free agents is a must. The more draft capital obtained, prospects acquired and cap space created, helps a team in the Flyers situation add higher end talent to their roster throughout this upcoming off-season. 

Keeping this in mind the Flyers returning to competitiveness sooner rather than later may conceivably hinge upon the transactions made in relation to trading their upcoming free agents. Chuck Fletcher accumulating value equivalent or close to what was initially given up in the trade for Rasmus Ristolainen is a key factor within this process.