It's been a week since the NHL's trade deadline, and the only Philadelphia Flyers transaction of note was sending Bobby Brink to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for defenseman David Jiricek. More notable than the trades that did happen, though, is the one that didn't: Rasmus Ristolainen remains a Philadelphia Flyer.
Flyers general manager Danny Briere, after the deadline, revealed that while Ristolainen was available, no teams stepped up to meet the asking price. Rather than trade the right-shot, physical defenseman with one year remaining on his contract at $5.1-million AAV, Briere opted to hold on to the veteran, preferring a patient approach and perhaps circling back with interested teams in the summer.
Through his three-year tenure as general manager, the patience Briere has exhibited has paid dividends, and it may pay off again by holding on to Ristolainen. Three moments define that willingness to wait.
The first transaction that rewarded Briere's patience was the deal that sent Scott Laughton and two late-round draft picks to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a first-round pick and Nikita Grebenkin. Briere could've traded Laughton at the same time he dealt Sean Walker to the Colorado Avalanche the year prior, but the market never materialized. One deadline later, and Briere got the package he was looking for. That trade's looking like a coup for the Flyers, especially now that, only one year later, Laughton was traded by the Leafs to the Los Angeles Kings for a meager conditional pick.
Let's stick with California teams for a moment, as the second instance where Briere's patience paid off was the trade that brought Trevor Zegras to Philadelphia. In exchange for Ryan Poehling and a couple of draft picks, the Flyers acquired the guy who's got the second-most goals, assists, and points on the team this season. Perhaps Zegras could've been part of the deal that swapped Cutter Gauthier and Jamie Drysdale, but Briere opted to wait and bought low on a player who's now one of the team's best forwards.
The final major instance in which Briere was right to be patient occurred just last week, when the Flyers traded for Jiricek at the deadline. The Flyers were reportedly interested in Jiricek when the Columbus Blue Jackets first made him available, but thought the cost of doing business was too steep. The Wild ultimately gave up a wealth of draft capital and prospect Daemon Hunt. Now, over a year later, the Flyers were able to deal from a position of strength and get Jiricek after all, without giving up the bounty of future assets that likely would've been required the first time Jiricek was on the market.
This all brings us back to Ristolainen and Briere's decision not to move him at the deadline. If the past is prelude, Briere has ample evidence to support his patient approach. Maybe that means making a trade this offseason, clearing a roster spot well ahead of training camp. Maybe it means waiting for next year's trade deadline. Maybe a team will be more willing to bring in a rental and not a player with term. Regardless of how the Ristolainen saga plays out over the coming year, Briere has certainly earned some benefit of the doubt. Patience is, as they say, a virtue.