Best early Rasmus Ristolainen landing spots before 2025 NHL trade deadline
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After a fantastic 2023-24 season that saw the Philadelphia Flyers nearly advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020, John Tortorella’s club is struggling mightily this time around. Mired in a four-game losing streak, the Flyers are 17-20-5 through 42 games, good for last place in the Metropolitan Division and second last in the Eastern Conference.
Although Philly remains just five points back of a wildcard berth, the most likely scenario is that it will be another campaign without postseason hockey in the City of Brotherly Love for a fifth straight time. President of hockey operations Keith Jones has already made it clear that the front office is planning to sell ahead of the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline — and there are no shortage of trade chips on the roster.
That includes veteran defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who has been popping up on trade boards league-wide over the last several weeks.
Flyers will be sellers, and Rasmus Ristolainen is likely to get moved
Although the Flyers don’t necessarily need to trade the Finnish blue liner — he does have two more years left on his contract after this one — general manager Danny Briere is willing to listen. And after a difficult start to his tenure in Philadelphia, Ristolainen has improved his game over the last couple of years.
As The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported in December, Flyers management is reportedly open to trading the hulking skater, but will pull the trigger on a deal only for “a good prospect or young player in return or a combination of a prospect and a pick.” Ristolainen is not an unrestricted free agent until the summer of 2027; he currently has a $5.1 million cap hit, offering teams stability beyond just this postseason.
The 30-year-old remains an ultra-physical defenseman with the ability to log significant minutes. That’s always coveted come trade deadline season, and there are no shortage of potential suitors for Ristolainen in 2024-25. Here are three realistic options for the former 8th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.
Stars could use a right-side defenseman
After losing Chris Tanev in the offseason — the stalwart defender signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs — Ristolainen could be an effective potential replacement to strengthen the Dallas Stars’ defensive unit. He’s a right shot who can play on the right side, and the roster already boasts three excellent left-side D-men in Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell and Thomas Harley. The right side is much weaker, featuring Ilya Lyubushkin, Matt Dumba and Nils Lundqvist.
There’s a chance that Dumba gets traded ahead of the deadline in a salary cap dump, especially as the Stars are strapped tight to the salary cap. Even if he doesn’t, Ristolainen would certainly be a good addition to the blue line, and if Philadelphia was willing to retain money on the contract, that would be even more true.
“They haven't yet filled that hole on the right side of their blue line. The term remaining on Ristolainen's contract fits in with the Stars' win-now window, and the improvements in his game should hold appeal given how few defensive stoppers are expected to be available in the marketplace,” wrote The Athletic’s Chris Johnston about a possible Ristolainen trade to Dallas. “Depth is essential for any team gearing up for a long spring, and Dallas is all in on trying to win the Stanley Cup.”
Canucks badly need defensive help
After a magical campaign that saw the Vancouver Canucks come within one victory of the franchise’s first trip to the Western Conference Final since 2011, the new season has provided a whole host of challenges for Rick Tocchet’s club. Besides the rift between star forwards JT Miller and Elias Pettersson, along with Thatcher Demko missing most of the first half due to injury, it’s been tough sledding in British Columbia.
One of the most glaring issues the Canucks have is on the blue line. Filip Hronek’s injury has been difficult to overcome, while the departure of Nikita Zadorov in the offseason also hasn’t helped. Superstar Quinn Hughes has done everything he can do keep the unit effective — and he’s putting together another Norris Trophy quality campaign — but Vancouver needs defensive help.
In the effort to improve both the depth of the defense, as well as the toughness, Ristolainen would be a strong fit on the second or third pairing. The Canucks’ front office will almost certainly make a couple of moves ahead of March 7, and acquiring a defenseman should be one of them.
Jets could use Ristolainen to improve penalty kill
Despite just getting Dylan Samberg back from injured reserve, the Jets are looking to make their blue line even better in the quest to get out of Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020-21. LeBrun reported that Winnipeg has considered Ristolainen as an option to improve their penalty kill.
“I'd like to see the Jets add the kind of size on the right side of their defense that Ristolainen would bring,” the hockey insider wrote in December. “And after giving up a first-round pick last season for rental Sean Monahan only to see him leave July 1, and keeping in mind how difficult it is for the Jets to attract free agents to Winnipeg, I like the idea of acquiring a player under contract. So there you have it, I've got the Cup-contending Jets taking on Ristolainen.”
Even if the Jets had to eat all of Ristolainen’s contract, it would be a smart move considering there’s no risk of him leaving on July 1. With the salary cap going up, a $5.1 million cap hit for two and a half years doesn’t sound quite as bad — especially with how much more consistent he’s been this season.
It seems more likely than not that the Flyers will move on from Ristolainen this season, due to the roster’s struggles and continued rebuild, as well as the big defenseman’s improved play in 2024-25. Add how important it is for contenders to have big, mobile blue liners come playoff time, and you can see why Ristolainen is a top trade chip.
It’ll be intriguing to see where the former World Junior Hockey Championship gold medallist will end up come March.
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