Flyers 2023-24 Player Grades: Rasmus Ristolainen

To make matters worse, Ristolainen was extended to a five-year, $25.5 million contract, keeping him in Philadelphia through 2026-27. A player performing poorly on a big contract is an awful predicament for a team, but that’s where the Flyers found themselves.

Despite being 29, Ristolainen completely shifted the narrative in 2023-24. Taking on a third-pairing role instead of his usual top-four minutes, he ranked 68th among 316 NHL defensemen in even-strength expected goals against per 60 (xGA/60) at 2.35. With a 53.7 expected goals percentage (xGF%), he was 72nd. Though he wasn’t playing in the toughest minutes, he got some of the best results of his career.

Unfortunately, Ristolainen just couldn’t stay healthy for Philadelphia. He didn’t play his first game until Nov. 25 as he was on injured reserve to start 2023-24. His season ended on Feb. 10, missing over two months’ worth of hockey from that point on. In the end, he only played in 31 contests and had his first single-digit point campaign since he was a rookie in 2013-14.

During the first nine seasons of his career, the highest Ristolainen ranked in xGA/60 and xGF% among defensemen percentile-wise was 28th and 32nd. His on-ice stats were dreadful for a very long time, making the strides he has taken just that much more impressive.

Once head coach John Tortorella and assistant coach Brad Shaw arrived in Philadelphia, everything changed. Under them, he took a step in the right direction in 2022-23, and that was only solidified in 2023-24. He has certainly found his way with the Orange and Black. Suddenly, his $5.1 million salary doesn’t look too egregious.

The Flyers Were Incomplete Without Ristolainen

Ristolainen’s 51-game absence was most certainly not good news for Philadelphia. With him in the lineup, the Flyers had an elite 17-9-5 record. Without him, they were just 21-24-6. Win totals in this context can be deceiving, but in his case, they weren’t. He had a largely positive impact on his teammates even with limited ice time. In terms of xGF%, 14 out of 20 non-Ristolainen Flyers with 20 or more games played were better with the physical defender on the ice than without him.

With Ristolainen’s presence, Travis Konecny, Joel Farabee, Sean Couturier, and Morgan Frost all had an xGF% above or near 60 percent. Without him, they were all hovering around or below 50 percent. That is a serious differential for key top-six forwards, which helps put Ristolainen’s impact into perspective.

Defensemen in the lineup benefitted from being with Ristolainen, too. Egor Zamula, his most common linemate, was decent alongside him yet below average without him. Those subtle differences can have a negative impact on the entire team, and it showed.

Looking at how his defensive results affected goaltending, there was an interesting trend with starter Sam Ersson. With Ristolainen in the lineup, he had a .919 save percentage (SV%) in 18 contests. When he wasn’t, his SV% fell to .880 over 33 games. While there were other reasons for Ersson’s struggles, Ristolainen’s absences exposed just how important depth is on defense. He was crucial for the Flyers’ success.

Ristolainen’s Final Grade

Getting to Ristolainen’s grade, he deserves a pretty solid one. He didn’t get a lot of ice time, though, so a B-grade seems fair. If he played against tougher competition, having a higher grade would have been more justifiable.

Before his debut with the Flyers in 2021-22, Ristolainen’s concerns were quality-related. Now, they are durability-related. While he is seeing a lot of great progression, it would be nice to have him playing a full season – he has only played 171 of a possible 246 contests (69.5 percent) since being acquired by Philadelphia. Playing more should help the Flyers in 2024-25.