Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen has come up in the rumor mill often over the last few years. It is only continuing to be the case early on this off-season with the big blueliner entering the final season of his contract in 2026-27. With Ristolainen being a big right-shot defenseman who can play top-four minutes and kill penalties, he should generate a good amount of interest this summer. According to The Fourth Period [https://www.thefourthperiod.com/summer-trade-watch-2026], the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Edmonton Oilers, and Boston Bruins are among the teams linked to Ristolainen at this stage of the off-season. It is not difficult to understand why these four teams are being connected to Ristolainen. They each could use a boost on the right side of their bluelines, and he would provide them with just that. While Ristolainen is continuing to create chatter as a trade candidate, there is also an argument to be had about the idea of keeping him around. The Flyers took a nice step in the right direction this season, and trading Ristolainen would create a hole in their lineup. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if the Flyers end up trading Ristolainen. He could be a strong fit on any of the four teams connected to him right now.
