After reportedly having his proposal rejected by Rasmus Ristolainen, it seems like Chuck Fletcher and company are going to try and try again to keep him wearing the Orange and Black. It’s getting to a point where the Flyers general manager is more worried about public perception than what’s best for the team moving forward. General managers make mistakes, you accept them, and you move on. Instead, it seems more and more likely that Ristolainen will get offered a contract so rich he won’t be able to deny it.
Elliotte Friedman reported on The Jeff Marek Show that the idea of Ristolainen being traded is premature because the Flyers are hellbent on bringing him back. He continued by saying that the worry amongst the Flyers brass right now is that if they were to trade Ristolainen, there wouldn’t be enough NHL-calibre defensemen on the roster.
There is something very wrong with that statement: The trade deadline is on March 21st, which means, if he were traded on deadline day, the Flyers would be without an NHL-calibre defenseman for roughly 20 games. The Flyers are currently 5th last in the NHL, last in the Metropolitan Division, and 3rd last in the Eastern Conference, what are they worried is going to happen with a mid-tier defenseman being absent for 20 games? They are 16-27-10 with and without their best players on the ice.
Is extending Ristolainen to such an albatross contract really going to maintain “pride” in a lost season? The Flyers aren’t willingly tanking, they are just so bad and abysmal they’re doing it on their own volition. This team owns three 6+ game losing streaks, including two 10+ game losing streaks, one of which was a franchise-worst 13 game winless drought. The fans have shown their anger, frustration, and their hands in how they want this season to end; making Ristolainen one of your highest paid defenseman isn’t the solution.
If Ristolainen wants to leave after rejecting a $6.3 million AAV over 6 years, then what do you expect the resolution to be? If you’re still trying to negotiate, knowing he doesn’t want to stay on a losing team and that he wants to play in the playoffs, he has all the bargaining chips to getting a deal upwards of $6.5 million now. Fletcher has shown his hand far too many times when he has stated that he knows he paid a hefty price for his services and that he wants to do everything in his power to keep him. Those are not things you should be throwing out into the media on a consistent basis.
Is Ristolainen a bad defenseman? No, he just isn’t worth $6.3 million, let alone whatever else he’s asking from the Flyers. His camp understands the Flyers are willing to pay a pretty penny for his services, they understand the market is white-hot for right-handed shooting defenseman, and they know that if the Flyers are willing to dole out big money, someone else in a better position might be willing to offer the same or more.
The season is lost, it has been lost, and it’s time to unload all expiring contracts for whatever is out there. Keith Yandle, Derick Brassard, and Martin Jones don’t hold much value, so there’s a chance they don’t get moved. However, a player like Ristolainen, one that can get you picks and future assets, should be moved, especially if he has no willingness to stay in Philadelphia. Keeping him here after the deadline only means you’re losing the first round pick, second round pick, and Robert Hagg from the summer, as well as whatever else someone was willing to give you at the deadline.
It is also time to give Cam York and Egor Zamula a fair shake at the NHL level. 20+ games in a meaningless season is the best time for any young player to get their taste of real NHL action. The Flyers don’t need Nick Seeler, Kevin Connauton, Keith Yandle, and an albatross-contracted Rasmus Ristolainen right now, let alone in a month’s time. There’s no need for York or Zamula to keep marinating in the AHL for a chance to fight for a spot in the summer.
See what you have in your young players right now in a season that you know is irreversible. If you’re confident in re-tooling and contending the following season, then wouldn’t it make sense to see what your top-valued prospects have at the NHL level? I am not advocating a tank or to willingly lose games, but keeping Ristolainen is only going to give you 1-3 more wins than expected, which is pointless. There’s a stark difference between the 5th pick and the 9th or 10th pick and any “extra” wins at the end of this season isn’t going to affect the morale, pride, or confidence going into 2022-23.
Rejecting a $6.3 million AAV would also indicate that if he were to remain a Flyer, he would want more money, which means he would have a good chance at becoming the highest paid defenseman on the team. He would usurp Ryan Ellis’ $6.25 million AAV, blow Travis Sanheim’s $4.9 million AAV out the water, and would either contend with or go beyond Ivan Provorov’s $6.75 million AAV. The Flyers can’t possibly think he’s better than those 3, let alone worth that money and that ludicrous term.
When you look at the defensemen that are currently making between $6 million-$7 million, it becomes apparent that Ristolainen doesn’t necessarily belong in that list, let alone near the top 20 highest paid defensemen: Rasmus Dahlin, Matt Dumba, Jonas Brodin, Justin Faulk, Torey Krug, Josh Morrissey, Mark Giordano, and Cam Fowler. Fletcher just needs to accept his loss from the summer, court a different defenseman (not Jeff Petry either) that is cheaper and wants to be in Philadelphia, and stop trying to force a move.
The notion that the Flyers will be without NHL-calibre defensemen for the final month of hockey shouldn’t be a focal point to not trading him at the deadline. If he wants to stay, and some believe there’s been a change of heart for Ristolainen’s camp, the term is asinine and the money is egregious.
He is fun to watch because he throws his body around, he brings that sandpaper element that is missing otherwise, and he has played very well with Sanheim this year. However, let’s take some deep breaths right now and realize that the salary cap is going to be tight again, with or without Ristolainen, and there are far more important fish to fry than Ristolainen.
