Flyers Lock Up Rasmus Ristolainen With 5-Year Contract Extension

It’s official. Rasmus Ristolainen is set to be a Philadelphia Flyer for five more seasons.

On Thursday, the team announced that it has inked the big defenseman to a contract extension. It’s worth $25.5 million, for an average annual value of $5.1 million per season.

“Rasmus is an important part of our team and we are very happy to have him on our blue line for the next five years,” said general manager Chuck Fletcher in a release. “He is committed to being a Flyer and brings a consistent physical presence to our team.”

There’s no mention of any trade protection in Thursday’s announcement.

The new deal will actually represent a pay cut for the 27-year-old Finn. He’s currently in the last year of a six-year contract that carries an AAV of $5.4 million, per CapFriendly. That was signed on the eve of the 2016-17 season by former Buffalo Sabres general manager Tim Murray.

Ristolainen’s History

Darcy Regier was at the helm for the Sabres when Ristolainen was drafted eighth overall in 2013. The 18-year-old immediately made the move to North America from his native Finland and started his rookie season with the Sabres.

Ristolainen split that rookie season between Buffalo and the AHL’s Rochester Americans, playing 34 games for each team. All told, he played 542 games over eight seasons for the Sabres, putting up 46 goals and 245 points to go along with 1,355 hits and 848 blocked shots.

Regier was let go barely a month into Ristolainen’s career, on Nov. 13, 2013. Pat LaFontaine briefly handled the GM duties as the Sabres’ president of hockey operations. He was succeeded by Murray, then Jason Botterill, then Kevyn Adams, who took over in June of 2020.

It was Adams who sent Ristolainen to Philadelphia on the first day of the 2021 NHL draft. In return, the Sabres received defenseman Robert Hagg, the Flyers’ first-round pick (No. 14, Buffalo selected Swedish winger Isak Rosen) and a second-round pick in 2023.

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Ristolainen As A Flyer

When Ristolainen was acquired by the Flyers, he was expected to play behind Ryan Ellis on the right side of the defense this season.

Ellis’ injury status, of course, torched that plan. Veteran Justin Braun was moved up to play alongside Ivan Provorov. Braun has performed well under the circumstances, and has likely increased his trade-deadline value as an impending unrestricted free agent on a high-value contract, with a cap hit of just $1.8 million.

Ristolainen has spent this season paired with Travis Sanheim. He leads all Flyers blueliners with 177 hits and has added 90 blocked shots to go along with his two goals and 11 assists in 49 games.

Averaging 21:22 per game, his ice time is down by about a minute from his last year in Buffalo. He plays regular minutes at even strength and on the penalty kill. Interim head coach Mike Yeo has also recently started using him on the power play, to see if that big point shot can add some juice for a man-advantage unit that has struggled this season.

At 6’4″ and 221 pounds, Ristolainen’s playing style includes an element of snarl that has been welcomed on the Flyers. He has felt appreciated for what he brings to the mix.

“I’m very happy and I really wanted to stay,” Ristolainen said in the team’s press release. “It’s a great feeling to have it done before the deadline.

“I love this city, I love the fans. I love my teammates and I want to be here when we turn it around next year.”

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Getting The Deal Done

Fletcher paid a high price to acquire Ristolainen — not just in terms of what he offered the Sabres. He also cleared salary cap and roster space by sending two draft picks to the Arizona Coyotes to get them to take on Shayne Gostisbehere‘s contract. Gostisbehere, 28, has one more year remaining on a contract that carries a cap hit of $4.5 million per season. He has thrived in the desert. He’s averaging a career-high 21:52 of ice time per game with the Coyotes, and has 10 goals and 36 points in 56 games.

But Fletcher was looking for a different skillset on the blue line, following the Flyers’ disappointing 2020-21 season. After Gostisbehere had passed through waivers unclaimed last March, it appeared that his trade value was at an all-time low.

“When we traded for (Ristolainen), clearly I paid a big price, I recognize that,” said Fletcher in January. “It’s difficult to get physical defensemen, never mind physical right-shot defensemen.

“The goal when we traded for him was to keep him. Obviously, he’s a pending UFA and he will control a lot of that discussion and we’ll work with his representation to see what makes sense.”

Though he is maligned by the analytics community, Ristolainen’s signing does provide some stability to a franchise that could see big changes over the next two weeks. Longtime captain Claude Giroux is widely expected to be moved before the March 21 trade deadline. Other impending unrestricted free agents such as Braun, goaltender Martin Jones and forward Derick Brassard could also be on their way out the door.