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. Niskanen was a very reliable Right-Handed Defenseman that was on the top pairing, while being paired with a work-horse in Ivan Provorov.
Is he easy to replace? Oh heck no, and Fletcher stated “Good luck” with trying to find a replacement for Niskanen. However, as the trade deadline nears there is still a gaping hole on the blue line, furthermore at times it appears the defense is like a leaking water faucet.
There is one way to replace Niskanen without getting into bidding wars for such, as most teams will throw all types of high priced assets towards players to fill their needs like Mattias Ekholm and Dougie Hamilton if he’s available. The easiest way for Fletcher to obtain a comparable Niskanen’s replacement is via a trade with the Buffalo Sabres, in particular Rasmus Ristolainen.
While the aforementioned teams above like Montreal, Boston, Winnipeg, and Toronto all vying for Ekholm’s services. Fletcher could grab Ristolainen instead.
Ristolainen, 26-years-old, 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 is stockpiled with rich prospects and talent, and are still struggling with players such as Jack Eichel, Taylor Hall, Kyle Okposo, Rasmus Dahlin, Victor Olofsson, Linus Ullmark, and Johnas Johansson.
Click here to shop for our latest sporting apparel, and accessories
This Sabres Defenceman is reliable, and plays a really sound two-way game. He is a strong and well-balanced skater, and Ristolainen plays with a physical component to his game and has become more disciplined. Ristolainen stands at 6’4, weighs 218 pounds, and can clear the porch in a big way.
Ristolainen, plays with an edge and he possesses solid puck moving skills as he likes to be involved with the play. He has logged an average ice time of 22:34 for the Sabres this season, and at the very least he could be a solid middle pairing defenseman. Ristolainen has also tallied three goals, and chipped in five assists in 19 games played, as he was recovering from Covid-19 (Which took a heavy toll on him physically).
It will be a tall task to replace the leadership, and on ice tutelage that Niskanen possessed. However, this may be the cheapest and easiest way for Fletcher to replace Niskanen. With the Sabres struggling, maybe it will only take a high end prospect (Not named York or Frost) and a first/second round pick to do such (Just a guess) to obtain Ristolainen. Ristolainen is signed through 2021-22 with a $5.4 million cap hit, but maybe the Sabres could retain some salary for his services, or the Sabres could take some cap with a player in return to fit in his salary, as well. If the Sabres did retain some salary a third or fourth round pick could be given as a means of compensation for such.
