Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen has been having an injury-riddled start to the season, though it's been most of his career in Philadelphia. He played in the Flyers' first three games and scored a goal on Oct. 1 against the New Jersey Devils. He played in the Flyers' game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 3, recording 14:26 on the ice among 17 shifts. He left late in the second after blocking a shot off his left hand, briefly returning in the third before being ruled out.
Ristolainen returned to the lineup on Oct. 24, when the Flyers hosted the Anaheim Ducks. He played through the entire game, recording 14:36 on the ice, and even took one shot. Ristolainen played on the third pair with Hunter McDonald, a sign that the Flyers were going to ease him back into action.
Although he was back in the lineup on Saturday, Ristolainen was not on the ice at the team's next practice. That came after an off day on Sunday, sparking questions about his status. The Flyers later announced that Ristolainen will be out for another two weeks with an upper-body injury; he aggravated the same injury that kept him out of the lineup for the previous three weeks.
Injury update: Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (upper-body) is expected to be out approximately two weeks.
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 26, 2026
The Flyers were off to a rough start to the 2026-27 season, dropping their first nine games. They were back on track, winning three straight, but their loss to Anaheim put them back in the losing column. Of course, now that the team was on the right track, the Flyers are going to want to put their best players out on the ice. However, if Ristolainen re-aggravated the same injury he already had previously, it seems like he was rushed back out onto the ice. Of course, that is only speculation here.
Hopefully, these next two weeks are enough time for Ristolainen to recover and get back out onto the ice to defend Philadelphia's blue line. If all goes well, he should return to the lineup in mid-November. For now, the Flyers should be getting Cam York soon and will continue to ride on the likes of Oliver Bonk and McDonald.
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