Leading up to the 2026 NHL trade deadline, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen was a big name in the rumor mill. However, the Flyers decided to hold on to him past the deadline. Now, the Flyers' decision to not trade Ristolainen is paying off for them. Ristolainen has had a strong start to the postseason for the Flyers, as he has three points and a plus-2 rating in three games. This included him scoring in the Flyers' Game 3 win over the Penguins. He also had two assists for the Flyers in Game 1, which was the first playoff game of his 13-year NHL career. With this, there is no question that he has been making a positive impact for the Flyers this postseason. Had the Flyers decided to trade him, they very well might not have had their strong finish to the regular season that got them into the playoffs. Ristolainen is exactly the kind of big right-shot defenseman that teams need during the playoffs, and he is showing that with the Flyers right now. It will be interesting to see how he performs as the playoffs continue from here.
