Flyers’ Rasmus Ristolainen to miss two weeks with upper-body injury
As the Philadelphia Flyers try to recover from a rough start to their season, they’ll have to do so without a veteran blueliner for the next little while.
On Monday, the Flyers announced that defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen will be out for approximately two weeks with an upper-body injury.
Ristolainen, 31, missed nine games with a hand injury before returning for Saturday’s 5-4 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Philadelphia head coach Rick Tocchet revealed that Ristolainen reaggravated that same injury upon his return.
In just four games played this season, the Finnish national has a goal and no assists while averaging over 17 minutes of ice time.
Last season, Ristolainen missed a significant amount of time due largely to a triceps injury. In 44 games, he notched one goal and 13 assists for 14 points while averaging over 21 minutes of ice time. He then contributed a goal and four assists for five points in the Flyers’ 10 playoff games. He also registered no goals and three assists in six games for the bronze medal-winning Finnish men’s national team at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in February.
Selected eighth overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Ristolainen played the first eight seasons of his NHL career in Buffalo, including his career-best campaign of 2016-17 in which he tallied six goals and 39 assists for 45 points 79 games.
In July of 2021, the Sabres traded Ristolainen to Philadelphia in exchange for defenseman Robert Hagg and two draft picks. He is now in his sixth season with the Flyers, and the final season of a five-year, $25.5 million contract.
Philadelphia, sitting second to last in the Metropolitan Division with nine points through 13 games, hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday before visiting the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.
