Flyers Defender Drawing Serious Trade Interest

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen has been a popular name in the rumor mill early on this season. Now, more trade chatter is continuing to surround the right-shot defenseman.

During a recent episode of TSN Insider Trading, NHL insider Darren Dreger reported that there is a lot of trade interest in Ristolainen right now.

Here is what Dreger said on the matter:

"Danny Briere is one of the more active GMs, and he's taken a lot of calls. There's a ton of interest, as we know, in veteran defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. I mean, he's a top-four D, and he's got a couple of years after this year on term. So that also checks a box in his favor."

Ristolainen should be a popular target for playoff teams looking to add more size and physicality to the right side of their defense. In addition, as Dreger notes, Ristolainen being more than a rental naturally adds to his appeal. This will be the case even further if the Flyers are open to retaining a portion of his $5.1 million cap hit.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Ristolainen from here. With there being so much interest in the veteran defenseman, a trade undoubtedly has the potential to occur.