Ristolainen's injury opens door for Flyers' young defensemen in camp

The Flyers' competition on the back end come September training camp will be fueled by a big absence.

Rasmus Ristolainen is expected to miss the start of next season as he recovers from another injury to his one triceps tendon. He missed the final 16 games of this season and ended up needing surgery. Last April, he had a procedure for a ruptured triceps tendon. General manager Danny Briere said Ristolainen's injury is "very similar" to that one.

"It was a little freaky, but right after the trade deadline, he had to get checked and they figured out that he needed to go under the knife for another surgery on his arm," Briere said two days ago at his end-of-the-season press conference. "He's going to be out until probably the early parts of next season unfortunately."

Briere wasn't shopping his 6-foot-4, right-handed defenseman at the March 7 deadline, but with his club in a rebuild, he was willing to listen. The Flyers weren't offered the price they wanted.

The risk of holding onto Ristolainen was that the 30-year-old's value may have been at its highest. Ristolainen has battled injuries during his time in Philadelphia, but he had stayed healthy this season and was playing some of the best hockey of his career. Next season, he'll be in Year 4 of a five-year contract, which has a $5.1 million annual cap hit.

There's reason to believe Ristolainen can get healthy and be an effective guy again for the Flyers. But having him miss the start of 2025-26 is a tough blow and a reinjury of sorts causes some concern.

"There are teams that have called to inquire, but Risto has been so good, too, for us," Briere said in January. "He's not a rental. For us, there's no rush to trade him. We finally have him healthy, we finally have him playing extremely well. To find a right-shot D like that, to play in your top four, to play as physical as he does, they're tough to find."

At his press conference Saturday, Briere highlighted a number of young pieces that will be pushing for the Flyers' roster next season. On defense, he mentioned Adam Ginning, Emil Andrae, Helge Grans, Hunter McDonald and Oliver Bonk.

The 6-foot-4 McDonald plays a brand of defense similar to Ristolainen. He had 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) and a plus-12 rating in 71 games this season for AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.

Bonk is a 6-foot-2 righty shot that sees the game at a high level. He'll be turning pro next season. Over his last two seasons with the OHL's London Knights, the 20-year-old has combined for 107 points (35 goals, 72 assists) and a plus-65 rating in 112 games.

"Three, four years ago, we didn't have a lot of prospects," Briere said. "We had one prospect that was pushing to make a team here and there. Now we are starting to see guys come in and the following year is going to be even more. ... Guys cannot be satisfied with where they are, and I think when you start creating that internal competition, it forces them to take a next step."