Over the last few seasons, the Philadelphia Flyers have generally struggled to re-sign their own players to team-friendly deals, or to deals that at least make sense for the future of the franchise.

According to a new report, that unfortunate trend could very well continue for yet another offseason.

Two weeks on from the start of NHL free agency, veteran defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen remains with the Flyers despite years of intense trade rumors and reports of multiple kiboshed deals, especially over the last two seasons.

But, new intel from Flyers team writer Bill Meltzer, via the O&B PuckCast, tells us that this might not change any time soon. In fact, it might not even change for the foreseeable future.

That's because the Flyers are purportedly considering a contract extension for the 31-year-old Finn.

"From what I gather, they've actually talked to Rasmus Ristolainen about an extension, because he's an unrestricted free agent in a year," Meltzer said.

Ristolainen indeed has one year remaining on his contract at a $5.1 million cap hit, and while injuries have been a detractor for him, the former Buffalo Sabres defender has revived his career in Philadelphia.

The Flyers, with the help of ex-coaches Brad Shaw and John Tortorella, have morphed Ristolainen into a physical, reliable second-pair, stay-at-home defenseman who has figured out how to mitigate his average mobility and puck skills.

With that said, though, Ristolainen is not getting any younger, and the Flyers have refused to settle on any potential deals for their prized defender to this point, despite recorded interest from other NHL teams.

The Flyers also have recent trade acquisition David Jiricek, as well as second-year pro Oliver Bonk, pushing for roster spots this upcoming season.

In the prospect pipeline, the Flyers already have Spencer Gill, Carter Amico, and Luke Vlooswyk, and they just allocated a second-round pick to another right-shot defenseman in Brek Liske at the 2026 NHL Draft last month.

If the Flyers are indeed considering an extension for Ristolainen, this is not a rousing endorsement of their prospect pool; three of the four aforementioned names were second-round picks, while Bonk and Jiricek were first-rounders.

Of course, it is possible that the Flyers are simply trying to re-gain some leverage, as other NHL teams are surely aware of their situation, knowing that Ristolainen will eventually be squeezed out in a numbers game.

Potential suitors already struggled with the idea of taking on Ristolainen's $5.1 million cap hit, especially with more than one year of term attached, so it would make little sense for the Flyers to give Ristolainen several more years with age-based regression looming, on top of what we can expect to be a raise of some kind.

By giving Ristolainen a contract extension of any kind, the Flyers will make it harder on themselves to find a trade suitor, while also presenting a roadblock for many of their top prospects unnecessarily.