Photo Credit: Rasmus Ristolainen Twitter (@rasmrist55)
Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher is left with quite the dilemma. Does he re-sign Ristolainen before the trade deadline commences on March 21st, or does he try to recoup some of the assets he moved while trying to obtain Ristolainen. The Flyers are going to retool this offseason, and that was made evident during a press conference approximately two weeks ago. So Fletcher is left with some questions: Would re-signing Ristolainen make sense? At what cost would it come to re-signing Ristolainen?
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 approximately two years ago. 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 past offseason trying to replace Niskanen, and he appeared to have 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 were the days of some Flyers players getting pummeled and cheaply barreled into, as Ristolainen hits everything that moves. Ristolainen has registered 144 hits in 41 games played this season.
What could the Flyers receive in return of a trade for Ristolainen?
Before Chuck Fletcher’s and Dave Scott’s press conference a few Wednesday’s ago. Ristolainen was seen as a player that could possibly be moved by the trade deadline in an attempt to recoup some assets that were lost from the trade of Ristolainen, as his contract expires at years end.
However, Fletcher said, “The goal when we traded for him was to keep him.” That does not mean Ristolainen wants to in fact re-sign. He may want to go to a winning team, and the Flyers are not dead at the moment.
If the Flyers and Ristolainen cannot come to terms for a contract extension, look for the Flyers to be able to fetch a first and a third round pick for his services. A comparable trade for what he brings to the table is David Savard. Savard was able to fetch a first and third at last year’s trade deadline, and it shall be no different with Ristolainen possibly being traded to a hungry, Stanley Cup contending team. Moreover, both defensemen are right-handed defensemen, which most NHL teams covet, so prices typically are premium for this particular position around the trade deadline for obvious reasons.
In the case of Savard, the Columbus Blue Jackets retained 50% of his salary to make the deal work. Fortunately, the Flyers are now in a position to do such, as Sean Couturier was moved to LTIR, thus freeing up $4.3 million in temporary cap relief.
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“Risto’s” Offerings
“Risto” has offered the Flyers another dimension, and that has been made evident this season as Ristolainen hits and gives the Flyers an element that they were missing for years.
He has really lived up to his billing of smashing people into the boards, and it has led to some odd-man rushes the other way. For the season he registered 144 hits in 41 games played for an average of 3.46 hits per game. Holy moly, the Flyers have not seen this in years.
Moreover, Ristolainen has also played solid defensively, and has earned a call to the top pairing with Ivan Provorov at times. 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, as he has averaged 21:00 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. Contrary to some belief, Ristolainen has played solid hockey while donning a Flyers jersey.
In Other Flyers News:
Derick Brassard is likely to return to the lineup on Wednesday night.
Claude Giroux was named the NHL’s first star of the week for last week.
Dave Scott issues a statement on season tickets:
“From COVID shutdowns to disappointing results on the ice, our fans have been through a lot over the last couple of years, but they’ve stuck with us, so there won’t be any price increases on any non-premium season tickets for 2022-2023 season.”
