One of the hottest rumors at the 2026 NHL trade deadline was a potential deal involving Philadelphia Flyers’ defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen
According to some chatter, the Flyers have a deal in place with the Detroit Red Wings. In the end, the Wings traded for former St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk.
When the deadline came and went, and the Flyers kept Ristolainen, it seemed like a failure on the Flyers’ part. Then, Philly GM Daniel Briere set the record straight, making it clear that he wasn’t shopping Ristolainen. If anything, he believes that Risto is a major part of the team.
That’s a version that lines up with a recent comment by notable insider David Pagnotta. According to a piece in the Fourth Period, talks with a team had gotten far down the field, but in the end, the Flyers opted to keep Ristolainen.
“The Philadelphia Flyers came close to moving Rasmus Ristolainen, who will enter the final year of his contract next season. There was significant progress on a trade, but the Flyers decided to keep him.”
Pagnotta didn’t elaborate on the team in question. But judging from other tidbits, it’s safe to assume that team could have been the Red Wings.
It also makes sense why the Wings pivoted to Faulk. Assuming that Briere was unconvinced by the offers for Ristolainen, he decided to pull the plug.
That’s why Briere made a point of highlighting that he wasn’t looking to “dump” Ristolainen. Moreover, looking at the price the Red Wings paid for Faulk, the return for Ristolainen would have been sorely underwhelming.
Ultimately, the Flyers did the right thing by keeping Ristolainen.
Could Flyers still trade Ristolainen?
The answer to that question is both yes and no. Yes, the Flyers could still trade Ristolainen. If the right offer comes along, the club could be willing to do it.
But then again, the answer to that question is no. The Flyers aren’t actively shopping Ristolainen. That’s why the price is outrageous.
It’s just economics. When a seller has a commodity perceived as precious, the seller would be willing to pass on a sale as long as it is useful to them. But even if the commodity is valuable, if the seller has no use for it, they would be willing to move it for a much lower price.
Think of a car. Someone could own a Ferrari. That’s a valuable car by all means. It has a high market value. If the owner doesn’t want to sell it, and, most importantly, doesn’t need to sell it, then the likelihood of that seller budging from their asking price is virtually null.
Now, imagine the same person with the Ferrari. But this time, the owner runs into debt trouble. They need to raise cash to pay off debts. That’s why in times of trouble, you don’t sell what you want. You sell what you can.
The Flyers were not in that situation. Hence, Ristolainen stayed with the club, making Briere’s decision to hold onto Ristolainen the right one.