Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen was given the No. 6 spot on Lyle Richardson's top off-season trade candidate rankings for Bleacher Report [https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25412478-ranking-nhls-top-offseason-trade-block-targets-april-2026]. Seeing Ristolainen be named a top trade candidate for the summer is not difficult to understand. He has been the subject of trade rumors for multiple seasons now, and this was once again the case leading up to the 2026 NHL trade deadline. The 6-foot-4 blueliner generated interest from multiple teams, but the Flyers ended up holding onto him. Yet, with Ristolainen being a big right-shot defenseman who plays top-four minutes, teams certainly could express interest in him again during the off-season. This is because playoff teams are always on the hunt for hard-nosed blueliners, and Ristolainen fits that description. Ristolainen will also be in the final season of his five-year, $25.5 million contract during the 2026-27 season. With this, if the Flyers do not view him as a long-term part of their plans, they very well could move him during the summer. In 37 games this season with the Flyers, Ristolainen has one goal, 10 assists, 11 points, 41 hits, 56 blocks, and a plus-4 rating.
