Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen showed impressive skills while playing for Finland in the Olympics, which has boosted his value for trades.
Ristolainen’s past connection to the Oilers
Oilers’ General Manager is likely paying more attention to Ristolainen now that he helped Finland win a bronze medal.
Before the tournament, NHL General Managers were unsure about him due to an injury that kept Rasmus from playing more than 19 games this season with Philadelphia.
Now, he’s seen as a strong top-tier defenseman. Performing well against top players makes people take notice.
Ristolainen demonstrated that he can still play a tough and intense game at a high level. Finland used him to break up plays, protect the goal area, and keep the team’s defense organized, showing that he’s recovered from his recent health problems.
Rasmus Ristolainen has to be impressing a lot of NHL GMs during this tournament. Not only is he playing well, he’s playing well in a very “stereotypical playoff hockey” type of way.
Not convinced it outweighs the real injury concerns GMs have, but he’s helping his stock.
— Charlie O’Connor (@charlieo_conn) February 20, 2026
Ristolainen shined during the Olympics, at one point having the best plus-minus rating in the tournament at plus-9.
He averaged about 20 minutes of play in a high-pressure situation, proving that he’s capable of playing major minutes for a competitive team like the Oilers, who need a second right-handed defenseman.
Standing at 6’4″ and shooting right, Ristolainen will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2027. He currently has a salary cap impact of $5.1 million. He is one of the few impactful players available for this spot before the March 6 deadline.
Along with strengthening Finland’s defense, Ristolainen has also been valuable to the Flyers since he joined them in the 2021-22 season.
As noted by PuckPedia, having him on defense has been crucial for turning around a struggling defense, raising Philadelphia’s expected goal percentage from below 50% to 56.19% while outshooting opponents when he is on the ice.
The NHL’s regular season starts again on February 24th. The trade deadline follows soon after on March 6th. This will create 10 exciting days for all 32 teams as they prepare for changes.
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