While players like Jamie Drysdale, Nick Seeler, Travis Sanheim, and Cam York are almost certain to remain on the Flyers’ roster, is there any talk about Rasmus Ristolainen these days?
Having missed the final two months of the previous season, Rasmus Ristolainen’s name has surfaced in NHL rumors.
One of the most important components of the Philadelphia Flyers’ long-term plan is building a solid blue line. While the club, like most other sections of the organization, still has work to do, certain standout players displayed indications that things are beginning to go in the right direction.
But general manager Danny Brière, president of hockey operations Keith Jones, and head coach John Tortorella will have to decide what that defense group looks like going into the 2024–25 campaign and where it goes from there.
Certain names are virtually certain to stay put, but others may generate some excitement in the trade and free-agent markets that will make them expendable in the coming months.
So which of the Flyers’ current defensemen stays and who leaves?As stated below, all contract terms and numbers are provided by CapFriendly.
Sanheim Travis
Really, it’s amazing how much Sanheim has changed in only a single year.
He was coming off a terrible season the previous summer, didn’t seem to get along with Tortorella, and appeared to be well on his way out of Philadelphia.
Actually, he almost was.
When Torey Krug said “yes” to waive his no-trade clause in late June of last year, Sanheim would have been skating over in St. Louis, and instead we’re talking about his status on the team.
However, that trade strategy was abandoned and turned out to be beneficial as well.
While it wasn’t flawless—certainly not at the end with the team-wide collapse—Sanheim made a significant comeback this past season.
He gained more knowledge of what Tortorella expected of him, put on some muscle over the summer, switched to the right side to clear the left for Cam York before the start of the season, and skated with a notably more purposeful and comfortable demeanor after that.
Sanheim played in all but one game and, at the conclusion, had set new career highs in goals (10), assists (34), total points (44), and average ice time (23:48). Although the Flyers’ general stalling down the home stretch did not help his final minus-20 rating for the season, he later acknowledged that he was fighting with injuries during that period, which did impair his skating.
The important thing to remember there, though, was that the Flyers needed their best defenseman to step up and play big minutes every week at that point in the season, and Sanheim and York consistently delivered.
As one of the more well-known leaders in the locker room off the ice and as a player, Sanheim has developed tremendously.
He’ll be back this season, most likely to stay with York in their defensive tandem.
In addition, he is bound by an eight-year, $50 million contract that includes a no-trade clause.
Cam York
For the first time in his career, York stayed up with the Flyers and skated in all 82 games. Similar to Sanehim, the 23-year-old was hurt all season long, spraining his shoulder in February, but he continued to play because he wanted to avoid missing the Stadium Series game and also to avoid shortchanging the club during the postseason drive.
“After the season ended, I probably should have skipped a few games,” York remarked. “That was where we were both pretty banged up. However, given the circumstances, we had injured defensemen, and I believe that when you’re in the thick of things and looking to make the playoffs, you want to give it your all.
And he did, logging increasing amounts of playing time on the top pairing with Sanheim as the season came to an end, even as the postseason push finally faltered.
Nevertheless, York developed into a competent puck-moving, possession-focused defenseman and seems to have plenty more potential to develop.
He is young, still has one year left on his current $1.6 million low-cost contract, and has the ability and potential to be a long-term member of the Flyers’ roster.
York is coming back, barring some crazy blockbuster deals.
Nick Seeler
One of the NHL’s most consistent defense duos by the middle of the season was Seeler and Sean Walker, who have since been moved to Colorado. As the trade deadline drew near, Seeler’s unwavering dedication to a hard-skating, hard-checking playstyle attracted notice from players all across the league.
Even though he was thirty years old, the Flyers appreciated his play and his presence in the room, so they rewarded him with a four-year, $10.8 million contract extension in the hopes that he can continue to play that way and serve as a veteran presence who hasn’t had an easy time making it to the NBA.
Contracts costing $2.7 million each are not unchangeable in the event that circumstances alter.
This offer, however, did represent the Flyers’ unambiguous commitment to Seeler.
Opening night will see him back in the starting lineup.
Drysdale Jamie
With a current contract worth $2.3 million annually, Drysdale will be with the Flyers for two more years. However, the team sees him more as a long-term prospect than the 22-year-old defenseman he is today.
Although he is a very fluid skater, he has a history of injuries that followed him from Anaheim. He missed almost a month after an open-ice check clearly injured his shoulder, and following the conclusion of the previous season, he made hints that he was never fully healthy before moving to Philadelphia.
With any luck, he’ll be well enough to play for the Flyers for the entire summer to start afresh.
Regardless of how well Drysdale plays with the Ducks, he will always be associated with former top prospect Cutter Gauthier.
The Flyers plan to keep Drysdale around for the long run, but that move was necessitated by circumstances, so it will be a sore area here for a very long time.
Rasmus Ristolainen
That $5.1 million cap hit for three additional years is difficult, but Ristolainen has shown significant defensive improvement over the last two seasons under Tortorella and associate coach Brad Shaw. Additionally, there was some trade talk leading up to the deadline, and at the time, there was hope that it would continue into the summer.
Apart from Ristolainen’s silent absence for the final two months of the season due to a ruptured tricep, nothing has been said since. However, trade negotiations typically kick back up around the draft, so keep a watch (or ear) out as June approaches.
Zamula Egor
Zamula is a restricted-free agent eligible for arbitration. The 24-year-old lost his AHL waiver exemption last year and requires a new contract, which shouldn’t be too expensive. However, it appears that the Flyers intend to keep the 6-foot-3 defenseman developing as a long-term project, as they have been doing for a number of years.
He’s provided them with a cause.
This past season, Zamula skated in 66 games and recorded 21 points (5 goals, 16 assists), along with a plus-3 rating. Most importantly, he appeared to be much more at ease moving and assisting in maintaining puck control while also making use of his stature. In the middle of the season, his ability to handle the puck over the top in the offensive zone also momentarily sparked a terrible Flyers power play, but it obviously wasn’t sustained.
Zamula should be a regular member of the defensive pairing instead of being a part-time player like he was during some periods of the previous season. He will likely remain on the bottom defensive pairing.
Marc Staal
With only one season left on his contract, the 37-year-old Staal entered the game with experience and knowledge that his on-ice role would decrease as the younger defenseman gained more responsibilities.
That all happened perfectly on schedule, and Brière mentioned Staal as one of the names he didn’t anticipate returning to in his press conference at the end of the season.
Erik Johnson
In a deadline trade that Brière knew would hurt the Flyers in the short run, Walker was traded to Colorado. However, to give the team a chance in what turned into an unexpected postseason run, Brière sent a fourth-round pick to Buffalo in exchange for veteran and Stanley Cup-winning experience Johnson.
As a depth blue-liner, the 36-year-old skated in 17 games for the Flyers, but in the latter weeks of the season, when the team lost ground in the postseason race, he was unable to stop the ship from sinking.
Johnson signed a one-year contract to start as a rental, but it is set to expire and he will be a free agent.
Following the Flyers’ most recent game, he stated that he had a great time while in Philadelphia and that he wouldn’t rule out returning, but if he did, it would only be temporarily and in a restricted capacity.
Perhaps it is not in the cards.
Ronnie Attard
Attard, 25, has a one-season contract that will pay $850,000.
He’s been on the edge of the NHL roster for a few years now, having performed well down with the Phantoms in the AHL and receiving looks up with the Flyers, but he hasn’t made a strong enough push for a position.
He may have a make-or-break summer ahead of him.
Adam Ginning
Ginning, who is 24 years old and in need of a new contract as an RFA, is in a similar situation.
After receiving a call-up in March, he skated in nine games, laid down a big hit on Sam Reinhart of Florida, avoided an even bigger one from Matt Rempe of New York that would have knocked him to the ice, and scored his first NHL goal—albeit in a blowout loss to a Columbus team that looked like they belonged in the basement.
His future is uncertain because he has a spot on the Phantoms but isn’t sure if he actually has one on the Flyers.
Emil Andrae
After training camp, Andrae made the team, but after a few games, he was sent down to the Phantoms due to being overmatched in the NHL.
Playing defense can be challenging, and developing a defenseman can be particularly lengthy. Even at 22 years old, Andrae remains one of the Flyers’ most exciting prospects. Give him some time, please.
Belpedio Louie
Belpedio, an AHL veteran of 28 years, has a one-year deal remaining. He’ll probably rejoin the Phantoms for the upcoming campaign, but even with that brief yet explosive run he had back in November, he is still worthy of recognition.
Both the Flyers and he understood that he would eventually return to the minors, but that was still a pleasant early-season surprise in a season that has been largely unexpected (yes, both good and bad).
Hey, he will be available should the Flyers require his services once more.
