Trade Rumors Involving Former Sabre Ristolainen Picking Up

29-year-old blueliner has four points in 31 games with Philadelphia

A number of current and former Buffalo Sabres appear on The Fourth Period’s Trade Watch List. Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt is in the top 10, but as was indicated by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman last Saturday, Buffalo’s trade posture is aimed more towards a hockey deal exchanging NHL talent for NHL talent and not for prospects, which could make a Mittelstadt deal more difficult before March 8.

Sabres winger Victor Olofsson and former Sabre blueliner Ilya Lyubushkin also appear on the list. Both are pending unrestricted free agents, and both are likely to require Buffalo and Anaheim to retain a significant chunk of their cap hits to make a deal work.

Another name on the list that continues to gain steam is Philadelphia defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. The former Sabres first-round pick was scratched for the Flyers – Arizona Coyotes game on Monday, sparking rumors of an imminent trade. Originally, it was reported that he was a healthy scratch, but later GM Danny Briere indicated that Ristolainen was out with a minor upper-body injury. 

The 29-year-old is not the same player that scored 40+ points for the Sabres from 2016 to 2019, with just four points (1 goal, 3 assists) in 31 games, but the 6’4”, 200 lb. blueliner is physical and right-handed, something that contending clubs are looking for.

There are indications that Flyers GM Danny Briere is willing to retain anywhere from 25 to 35% of Ristolainen’s $5.1 million salary, likely because he has three years left on his five-year deal. Three clubs linked to Ristolainen are the Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Vancouver Canucks.

The Flames have already moved out former Sabre Nikita Zadorov, and are expected to deal defensemen Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin, and could be willing to add Ristolainen to fill one of the many holes on the blueline. Toronto has been looking to bolster their defense all season, and the big righty fits the type of defenseman that GM Brad Treliving likes, while the Canucks are looking for depth with Carson Soucy injured, and have a trio of expiring contracts in Zadorov, Tyler Myers, and Ian Cole.

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