Flyers Files: Ristolainen and Other Trade Deadline Thoughts

The NHL trade deadline is on Friday at 3 PM, and for the Philadelphia Flyers, that means it’s decision time.

The stretch prior to the Olympics appeared to answer the question loud and clear: the Flyers are not ready for the playoffs just yet. Of course, the Flyers signed Christian Dvorak to a contract extension in January, taking the only unrestricted free agent they had with any significant value and removing him from the market. So if the Flyers are going to sell anything, it will be a player with some term remaining or an expiring contract with minimal value.

So what should the plan be? For starters, it should be headlined by a defenseman that is fresh off an impressive showing at the Olympics. Here’s this week’s Flyers Files:

Why It’s Time to Move Ristolainen

I compare this spot to what the Flyers went through with Scott Laughton last season. Rasmus Ristolainen’s name has been in trade rumors for years.

The Flyers acquired Ristolainen ahead of the 2021-22 season with one season left on his contract. Rather than move him, they signed him to a contract extension for five years. There is still one full season remaining on his contract, but as the salary cap has risen, a $5.1 million cap hit for a big, physical right-handed defenseman is especially valuable. If the Flyers were to retain salary, that could invite an even better return.

So after all the years of speculation and being among the rumored players to be on the move, it feels like the time is now for Ristolainen. For the Flyers, Ristolainen doesn’t factor into the long-term future of the team. Beyond next season, there would certainly be other options for the Flyers to get younger and continuing building their blue line.

And the market is going to demand a player of Ristolainen’s stature. Rasmus Andersson was the first domino to fall in this area, the big right-handed defenseman. Andersson has long since been traded to Vegas. And as names come off the board in an already thin right-handed defense group, the demand will only increase.

There’s no way to know for sure if the Flyers would have received even more in return if they would have moved Ristolainen at the deadline in 2022, but it certainly feels like in the years since that this trade deadline is where his value will peak. Last season, the Flyers finally made the decision on Laughton and got Nikita Grebenkin and a first-round pick in return. There’s a chance the Flyers could make out just as well by choosing to do the same with Ristolainen now.

Setting the Table for Something Bigger

The Flyers aren’t going to make massive improvements at the deadline, not without using some significant capital, whether that be draft picks or top prospects. That feels like a non-starter for where the team currently sits.

That said, there is some thought to the Flyers starting to move off of some of their current wingers to eventually open spots for the future.

Porter Martone is expected to be a Flyer next season. Alex Bump is back from injury and making noise in the minors. Could names like Owen Tippett or Bobby Brink be moved to make room? It’s certainly a possibility.

Brink really seems like the odd-man out among the winger group. Travis Konecny has a no-move clause. Matvei Michkov has been backed by GM Danny Briere multiple times as a key part of the future. Tyson Foerster will be back next season from injury, and was on pace for career numbers prior this season. If the Flyers determine that Trevor Zegras is a better fit for the wing, that adds another layer to the crowded position.

A deal may not get done at the deadline, but the Flyers could spend the rest of the season and go into the offseason looking for a plan to create spaces for the wingers they have in the system and move others out to try to improve other positions.

Expect Lesser Deals

Outside of Ristolainen, there’s not much to expect from the Flyers at the deadline. They have a few players on expiring contracts that could be moved to open the door for others to be called up, but the returns would be minimal.

For example, the Flyers could trade Noah Juulsen from the defensive group or move Nic Deslauriers or Carl Grundstrom if there are any takers. But the returns would likely be mid-to-late round draft picks at best. Still, it would be better to get something in return for these players if it helps open the door for someone else to get some valuable experience at the NHL level for the final 21 games of the season after the deadline.

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.