Rasmus Ristolainen is continuing to create discussion as a trade candidate.
Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos has released his latest trade board. A Philadelphia Flyers defenseman was among the players listed, as Rasmus Ristolainen made the cut.
"Rasmus Ristolainen has been another regular on this trade board for a while, but he remained in Philadelphia because the Flyers couldn’t get their asking price and, this season, were a competitive playoff team. Now this situation is coming to a head, though. Ristolainen will be going into the final season of his contract in 2026-27 and there is little reason to believe he’ll re-sign with the Flyers," Kypreos wrote.
Seeing Ristolainen make another trade board is not surprising in the slightest. Questions about the right-shot defenseman's future in Philadelphia have come up in each of the last two seasons. With this and the Flyers having young right-shot defensemen like David Jiricek and Oliver Bonk waiting in the wings, it would be understandable if the Flyers at least listened to offers on Ristolainen this summer.
With Ristolainen being a top-four right-shot defenseman with size, it is likely that the Flyers could get a good return for him in a trade. He is exactly the kind of defenseman that contenders love to target, so he has the potential to generate some serious interest.
However, with Ristolainen being an important part of the Flyers' roster, there would also be some risk in trading him. Even if he is entering the final season of his contract, the possibility of the Flyers keeping him around as they look to make the playoffs again next year should not be ruled out.