The Philadelphia Flyers are going to the March 6 trade deadline in the NHL with more questions than answers. President Keith Jones and general manager Danny Briere have said on numerous occasions that the course of the team will be determined by the on-ice performance, though it is increasingly running out of time to determine whether the team is buyers or sellers.
The center of the NHL trade rumors is the older defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. The 31-year-old has quietly earned his worth back this season, racking up the heavy minutes and offering the size and physical advantages that playoff competitors would all want. As the NHL needs an experienced right-shot defense man across the league, his name has made it to the headlines of the news in the NHL.
Danny Briere weighs Rasmus Ristolainen’s future before the March 6 deadline
The case of Rasmus Ristolainen is complicated. He has a term past this season, unlike a pending unrestricted free agent, so he is not just a rental to the contenders that want to have a stable blue line. His size, his use of penalty kill, and his capability to effectively match up with the best lines of teams looking to make a deep, deep-season run make him desirable.
In the case of the Philadelphia Flyers, it would be viable to trade him with a high draft pick or any young NHL-ready player to jump-start the rebuild. Nonetheless, losing a stable top-four defenseman would also be hazardous in disrupting a roster that is yet to find its identity.
The assessment of Danny Briere is based on time and course. When the Flyers are still in contention for a wild-card position, inaction can serve as a solidification factor within the locker room. In case the rankings are indicative of an additional long path, it might be the wise thing to do to maximize the market value of Rasmus Ristolainen.
As the NHL match today landscape changes on a day-to-day basis and players assess the available upgrades, the way in which Philadelphia will proceed will be obvious in the near future. Rasmus Ristolainen will remain or not; the choice will dictate the course of the Flyers long after this season.
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