
In a recent article for Daily Faceoff, Anthony Di Marco reported that the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins are two teams that have kicked tires on Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.
"Among the teams that have checked in on Ristolainen are the Bruins and Edmonton Oilers, though neither has stepped up as a 'serious' landing spot to this point, according to sources," Di Marco wrote.
One of the Oilers' biggest needs is another right-shot defenseman, so it makes sense that they reportedly have Ristolainen on their radar. When looking at Edmonton's current roster, Ristolainen would upgrade their bottom pairing at a minimum and would also be a clear choice for their penalty kill.
Ristolainen's contract is where things could get tricky in the Oilers' pursuit of the 6-foot-4 blueliner. The 31-year-old defenseman has a $5.1 million cap hit until the end of the 2026-27 season, so the Oilers would need to get creative to fit him into their roster financially.
However, with the Oilers in need of a big stay-at-home defenseman who plays a physical game, they could be a good fit for Ristolainen if the Flyers end up dealing him.
Ristolainen has played in 19 games this season with the Flyers, where he has recorded one goal, five assists, 20 hits, and 26 blocks. This is after he had four goals, 19 points, 97 hits, and a plus-3 rating in 63 games this past season with Philadelphia.