Flyers quickly losing destinations for Ristolainen trade

2 weeks ago  /  Broad Street Hockey  /  Read Time: 3 minutes 42 seconds

The Philadelphia Flyers might have already made their big pre-deadline splash. The trade that sent Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee to the Calgary Flames could be their only move that we see before 3:00 p.m. hits on March 7 and this is the roster we have for the remainder of the 2024-25 season, if things keep going the way they are going.



While no one could assume with complete certainty that both Farabee and Frost were going to be moved in the middle of this season, the Flyers did have one guy who we would all collectively say would be the most likely player leaving the team before the deadline: Rasmus Ristolainen. With a two more years on his contract, a $5.1-million cap hit, being 30 years old, and a generally weak crop of available defensemen this deadline season, it was an easy connection to make. Oh, a bunch of teams could use a 6-foot-4, right-handed blueliner that has gotten remarkably better the last couple seasons and could handle top-pairing minutes? Yeah, of course they could. But as the days roll past us, the teams who could be willing to put up the package good enough for the Flyers to take, is rapidly dwindling.



In the last few days, we have seen the Vancouver Canucks go out and acquire rental blueliner Marcus Pettersson from the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Dallas Stars trade real draft picks for Cody Ceci. And even if you want to throw in the New York Islanders signing Tony DeAngelo as a free agent and trading a late-round draft pick for Scott Perunovich into the mix; a lot of teams are going out and figuring out their blue line for the rest of the season. (Some are destined for the playoffs, while others are just fiddling around with their stuff.)



Both the Canucks and Stars were viable options to give up decent enough assets to acquire Ristolainen. Now the stark difference between the defensemen traded and Ristolainen is the contract. Every blueliner mentioned is some sort of free agent this summer and the team could re-shape their roster with or without them. Ristolainen’s two remaining seasons under contract creates more of a commitment than some team might want, but considering the Canucks are most likely keeping Pettersson around and re-signing him, and Ceci might just stay as insurance for Dallas, there is still some level of commitment there.



Teams figured out their blue line but with some more flexibility than they would have if they gave up those same draft picks for Ristolainen. That might just be their preference but it also takes them out of the running to go out and acquire the big Finn from Philadelphia.



Now, who is left?



The Edmonton Oilers, despite signing John Klingberg to a one-year contract as the Swedish blueliner tries to make a comeback in the NHL, could still be on the lookout for someone to take up some minutes on the right side. Depending how Klingberg’s first few games go, they could see the newcomer as a bottom-pairing, power-play specialist more than someone who could handle the top four assignments. Instead of having Ty Emberson on that blue line, Ristolainen would really solidify everything going on there.



There is a slight wrinkle with the possibility that the Oilers would commit any amount of future money before they re-sign Connor McDavid this summer, but with the salary cap ceiling rocketing up, Ristolainen’s $5.1-million AAV could seem teentsy-tiny.



One team thought that might welcome in the remaining years is the Winnipeg Jets. Since they can’t really attract free agents up there in Manitoba, acquiring a player locked in to a contract for multiple seasons is not a bad option at all. And with Neal Pionk heading to free agency this summer, there could be an easy replacement there. The Jets have enough cap space at the deadline to make this deal work, but do they really want to clog up their potential blue line with Dylan Demelo, Colin Miller, and Pionk already existing on the right side? Ristolainen would be an improvement over there, but we can’t see them ruffling the feathers too much, especially with Miller signed for another season beyond this one.



Beyond those two teams, it’s just all guesswork. Could the Toronto Maple Leafs use Ristolainen? Absolutely, but cap is a concern. Will the Tampa Bay Lightning turn him into an even better player? Probably, but some cap finagling would need to happen. Even the Florida Panthers might enjoy him on their blue line, especially if they don’t envision re-signing Aaron Ekblad.



And out west, it’s a bunch of teams that already have their blue line figured out — Colorado, Vegas, Los Angeles, Minnesota — that certainly don’t envision making that big of a splash to bring in someone locked in for this long.



As mentioned, the market is rapidly shrinking. The teams who could viably welcome Ristolainen in with open arms who are in a playoff spot, have the cap space available without drastic transactions, and have a roster spot available, is really down to just a couple of teams. And even then, the Flyers’ reported ask of a first-round pick might not be possible.



We would love some more transactions as the Flyers continue their path to rebuilding and figuring out which players are staying and going, but we might just have to wait a few more months for this to happen, when teams have the room to bring in someone like Ristolainen in the offseason....

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