Flyers Place Rasmus Ristolainen on Injured Reserve
By Scott Cole
The Flyers have placed another defender on injured reserve. Before the season started, Ryan Ellis was placed on long term injured reserve. Now, you can add Rasmus Ristolainen to the mix.
Risto has been dealing with an undisclosed injury throughout camp. He has yet to suit up for the team so far, but was used sparingly in some of the preseason games. However, some snarky Flyers fans might wonder if that’s why the team has only given up four goals thus far.
Ristolainen’s tenure so far in Philly has been tenuous. He was traded for assets that included a first round pick, a second round pick, and defenseman Robert Hagg. He was then signed to a lucrative five year deal.
For a team like the Buffalo Sabres, who definitely need ANYTHING, at this point to stay competitive, to send him off like that is a big deal. There are many Flyers fans who think it was too much. Even worse, the extension was too much to give him.
His quality of play, so, far, has been “meh” at best. He’s not terrible, but he’s not great. For someone who is making over $5 million, he’s earning way too much money to play so average. When the Flyers paired him up with Ivan Provorov last year, it was a disaster. Risto ended up playing himself down to second line defense and few stints as third line. Again, it’s too much money to be tied down into one player who’s not playing well.
In his place, the Flyers recalled two players. The first player is Zack MacEwen, who was one of the last training camp cuts. He brings a physical presence to this team that it could use on it’s fourth line; especially as the team prepares to do battle with the mighty Sunshine State teams of the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers.
The other player is Louie Belpedio. Belpedio, a blue liner, has just four NHL games under his belt. The 26 year old comes from the Minnesota Wild farm system where he recently played for the Laval Rocket during their Calder Cup playoff run. He signed with the Flyers on a two-way deal back in July.
It is unclear when Risto will return the lineup. The IR move was retroactive to last Wednesday. A player must miss seven days in order to return. He will join the Flyers on their three game road trip, so he could be available at some point. Though if it is significant time, you could see Cam York recalled if he is having a good run at Lehigh Valley.