Rasmus Ristolainen has just been traded from the Buffalo Sabres to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Robert Hagg, a first round pick in 2021 (14th overall) and a second round pick in 2023. "Risto", a very attractive defenseman on paper, becomes the first domino to fall for the Buffalo Sabres, who are looking to rebuild their roster with new faces.
If I may, let me point out that half of Flyers fans will love the Ristolainen trade, while the other half will hate it. The team needed nastiness badly, as they were too easy to play against physically. "Risto" will bring that big plus to the Flyers squad.
During the shortened schedule, the Finn had 18 points, including four goals, in 49 games. But the most important thing to remember is that he delivered a monstrous total of 193 checks, which is almost four per game on average. His checking average per 60 minutes was 10.60.
The 6-foot-4, 26-year-old defenseman carries an average salary of $5.4 million and it will expire at the end of the 2021-22 season. In his career, he played in 542 games and scored 245 points, which is also his share of points in a season. He had four seasons of at least 40 points.
