After missing the Flyers last three games, Rasmus Ristolainen will not be traveling to Montreal with Team Finland to participate in the 4 Nations Face-Off. Ristolainen suffered an upper-body injury in the Flyers 2-0 loss to the Avalanche on Feb. 2.
It's another big blow for Finland as their backend has been decimated by injuries heading into the tournament. Miro Heiskanen and Jani Hakanpaa were ruled out in the last few weeks as well, and Henri Jokiharju and Urho Vaakainen replaced them. Nikolas Matinpalo will replace Ristolainen on the roster.
It may be a blessing in disguise for the Flyers as it gives Ristolainen another two weeks to heal and be ready for when the team returns from break. But this has to be disappointing to Ristolainen who has not been able to put on a Finland jersey since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. Though, there's a bigger moment on his mind when it comes to representing his country.
He scored the gold medal-winning goal for Finland in 2014. Ristolainen had three goals in five games during the 2014 World Juniors.
This no doubt could change things in terms of his availability in a trade. While Danny Briere has said that they are in no rush to trade him, there have been teams calling about his services. The Flyers did make their first big move recently by sending Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee to the Flames. If Ristolainen returns and shows he's healthy, there's a good chance the Flyers cash in.
Ristolainen had been healthy for the large majority of the season after missing time in each season since being acquired by the Flyers. This was the first year that he was able to play in the team's season opener. He's appeared in 54 games and has two goals and 15 points. Though plus/minus isn't typically a stat to look at, his +3 would be the first time he's finished on the positive end in his career.
That leaves three Flyers heading to the 4 Nations Face-Off. Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim will represent Canada. Sam Ersson will be playing for Sweden. John Tortorella will also be a part of the event, helping out as an assistant on the United States staff.
The tournament kicks off on Feb. 12 in Montreal.