You know him, you love him, and he's involved in nearly every trade rumor that comes up when it involves the Flyers. As much as it will pain us, and we'll take a direct hit in the content machine, the Rasmus Ristolainen saga is likely almost over.
The Flyers could trade him now that it's draft time, or somewhere around the next trade deadline. Or they could let him walk in the offseason, given that his contract is expiring. There is some buzz around him and Ottawa. No matter what, you'll have to find a way to replace him in the lineup.
Well, the NHL draft is upon us, and there are options for the Flyers to land the next big (emphasis on big) defenseman. Here are some of their options.
Maksim Sokolovskii - OHL London Knights
Let’s address the elephant in the room. It's literally him. He’s 6'8 and somewhere in the neighborhood of 240 pounds. So big check on replacing the size you'd lose with Ristolainen's departure.
However, Sokolovskii is more than just his size. He's a good skater, aggressive with his physicality, and is still very young (he won't turn 18 until July), so he's got a lot of runway to work on his offense and other skills. However, it's a really good sign that the Knights tasked Sokolovskii with trying to manage and get under the skin of Brady Martin of the Soo Greyhounds in their playoff series.
He'll be a project, but he could find the sweet spot between being a Jamie Oleksiak and Tyler Myers and you have a top four cornerstone defender.
Nikita Shcherbakov - VHL Toros Neftekamsk
Another giant 17-year-old, Shcherbakov is a strong 6'5 and 190 pounds. He played against men this season, making his KHL debut, but mostly played in the second-tier pro Russian league, the VHL.
He's defensively sound, and he moves surprisingly well for a player of his size. His strength is that he can jump into one of the best leagues in the world and not look out of place. His game will need to develop offensively, sure, but he's got raw potential. With adjustments made to match the North American style, it might give him a boost, or he might comfortably slot into the defensive defender role of a mid or bottom-pair player.
Adam Goljier - HK Dukla Trencin
We're staying on a theme. At only 6'3", he's the smallest of the bunch, but he's 195 pounds and can grow more, considering he turned 18 recently. He spent his time playing in the Slovakian pro league against men, despite only being 17. He also got some international experience with their U18 team.
Goljier might be the best skater out of the bunch and the most offensively inclined. He's a true 200-foot defender and wants to be involved offensively and defensively. He's got a very obvious competitive level that helped him overcome his age and some shortcomings skill wise against higher compeition levels.
Any of these players could be in contention for the Flyers to pick in the first round, or even later. We might have some more clarity as to what they need, but we'll be looking for them to start bridging the gap that Rasmus Ristolainen will leave.
Add us as a preferred source on Google