Flyers Rumors: Pacific Team Eyeing Rasmus Ristolainen

The Philadelphia Flyers are gearing up to be sellers at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. While they have had a strong season and have shocked many, they are sticking to their rebuilding plans, and many of their players have come up in the rumor mill because of it.

One of their most notable trade targets is defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. Due to his solid defensive play this season, teams have been linked to him, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and Dallas Stars. Yet, it appears that he has a new suitor as well, as The Fourth Period recently reported that the Calgary Flames are also linked to the right-shot defenseman.

Hearing that the Flames have Ristolainen on their radar is understandable. While they are expected to sell off some of their notable pending UFAs like Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev, they are not planning on rebuilding and are focusing on becoming a playoff team. As a result, with Tanev likely to be dealt, replacing him with a right-shot defenseman with term like Ristolainen would make sense.

If the Flames acquired Ristolainen, he would be a nice fit in their top four and would also be a clear option for their penalty kill.

Ristolainen, 29, has appeared in 31 games this season with the Flyers, where he has one goal to go along with four points and 57 hits.