Rasmus Ristolainen will be staying put in Philadelphia.
The Flyers signed the 27-year old defenseman to a five-year contract extension, which TSN's Darren Dreger first reported Thursday morning. The deal will carry an annual cap hit of $5.1 million.
In 49 games this season, Ristolainen has two goals, 11 assists, and is -11, averaging 21:22 of ice time. He was brought in last summer when GM Chuck Fletcher sent Robert Hagg, a 2021 first-round pick, and a 2023 second over to Buffalo in exchange for the 6'4" defenseman on the last year of his contract.
Ristolainen plays an aggressive and physical game, and the hope was that he would provide a jolt to a Flyers lineup that's been chronically slow to start in years past.
The season has since fallen apart, and there are plenty of Ristolainen detractors among fans, but he reportedly loves being in Philly and the Flyers love having him.
"I was thinking about all the options a little bit, but it honestly wasn't too hard," Ristolainen said Thursday of his decision to pass on free agency and stay in Philadelphia. "If I like it here, I don't need to go looking for something else for really no reason. It was overall a pretty easy decision for me."
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With the extension, the Flyers (for now) will have Ristolainen ($5.1 million), Travis Sanheim ($4.675 million), Ivan Provorov ($6.75 million), Ryan Ellis ($6.25 million), and potentially Cam York ($880,833, entry-level contract) on the back end next season.
Sanheim, 25, has been Ristolainen's main defensive partner throughout the year, but there is some speculation now that Ristolainen's extension might open the door for a potential Sanheim trade at the deadline.
The trade deadline is March 21, so we'll have to wait and see. The Flyers look like they'll be active, but Ristolainen hopes that Sanheim will be sticking around.
"I really enjoy playing with him and hopefully we can play together for a long time," Ristolainen said. "It's not easy to find players you can enjoy playing with and can see yourself playing with for a long the time.
"It's not just him, all the other guys here too. I've really enjoyed it here so far, so I wanted to stay."
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