Flyers acquire defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen from Buffalo Sabres for 13th pick

After moving Shayne Gostisbehere just yesterday, the Philadelphia Flyers made another big move this afternoon, trading Robert Hagg, the 13th pick, and 2023 second-round pick to the Buffalo Sabres for defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. Rasmus commands a $5.5 million salary-cap hit, but there has been no word yet on if the Sabres are retaining any salary.

Buffalo has been shopping Risto for the last few weeks, and their asking price has been a first-round pick and a prospect with several teams having been in the race. Rasmus Ristolainen was the 8th pick in the 2013 NHL Draft and was a top-line defenseman for most of his career. Now with the Flyers, he will likely move back to the second line with Travis Sanheim.

Over eight seasons, Rasmus has over 245 points with 46 goals. During the 2020 season, Ristolainen had just 18 points in 49 appearances for the Sabres. Rasmus Ristolainen also had 193 hits with Buffalo, 4th in the NHL, and over 100 more than any of his teammates.

Chuck Fletcher has been doing everything he can to surround Carter Hart with better defensemen than last season. Last week he acquired Ryan Ellis from the Nashville Predators to be their top defender alongside Ivan Provorov. The flyers still hold their second-round selection for tonight’s NHL Draft but moved their 2022 second-round pick to Arizona in the Gostisbehere trade.

Mandatory Credit: The Hockey Writers