Photo Credit: Rasmus Ristolainen Twitter (@rasmrist55)
Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher was left with a gaping hole on the blue line when Matt Niskanen officially announced his retirement one day before the NHL Draft was set to commence last year. Niskanen was a very reliable Right-Handed Defenseman that was on the top pairing, while being paired with a work-horse in Ivan Provorov.
Fletcher approached this offseason trying to replace Niskanen, and he accomplished that with obtaining Ryan Ellis and adding Rasmus Ristolainen to the fold. The Flyers were in a free fall, and beaten on a regular basis. Gone are those days as Ristolainen will not sit back and allow his fellow teammates to get pummeled and cheaply barreled into.
Ristolainen offers the Flyers another dimension this season, and that has been made evident this season as Ristolainen hits everything that moves. He stuck up for Claude Giroux with a big hit at the end of the first as the horn sounded during the last game of the pre-season. Giroux was hit by a Capital moments prior, and Ristolainen didn’t like it. Gone are the days no Flyer sticks up for one another, as Ristolainen registered seven hits in just two pre-season games played, and has registered 56 hits in 16 games played for an average of 3.5 hits per game.
Moreover, Ristolainen has also played solid defensively, and has earned a call to the top pairing with Ivan Provorov. His gap control has been effective, and he has not blown many coverages and looks quite comfortable out there for the orange and black, “You always want to play against those top teams to see where you are at,” Ristolainen said earlier in the season.
“Risto” eats minutes, and that is what the Flyers needed for a 1A/1B defensemen, as he has averaged 20:59 of ice time per night this season. He pairs effectively with Travis Sanheim, as Ristolainen sees sort of a reduced role with the orange and black.
“I can’t wait to see that booming shot.” – Alain Vigneault said a few games ago
26-years-old, Ristolainen, is a Right-Handed Defenseman that can be physical and pot a goal as the Flyers found out earlier this year. He can be seen as an underperforming defenseman for the Buffalo Sabres, but it is the Sabres, a team that was stockpiled with rich prospects and talent. Ristolainen is blessed with toughness, and possesses one heavy shot. He has been a good addition, and hopefully he sees more Power Play time in the future do Vigneault can see that booming shot.
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