After going over nine months without game action, Rasmus Ristolainen will make his season debut Tuesday when the Flyers face the Canadiens at Bell Centre (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
Ristolainen will return from his second triceps tendon injury. The 31-year-old defenseman had been recovering after having surgery in March.
The Flyers also got Cam York back in the lineup Sunday night after he had missed the last four games with an upper-body injury. With the returns of Ristolainen and York, the Flyers now have a fully healthy defense.
“When those two guys come back, it’s like making a really good trade,” Rick Tocchet said last Wednesday. “You’re getting two quality D-men in the lineup that know how to play D, know how to play without the puck. Risto has got a great shot. It’s good to have a guy back there who has got a bomb. Yorky’s intelligence in defending. It’s like making a major trade for us.”
Here were the projected defensive pairs we looked at last week:
Cam York-Travis Sanheim
Emil Andrae-Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler-Rasmus Ristolainen
Update: Ristolainen plays effective game in Flyers’ win over Canadiens
Prior to his injury, Ristolainen may have been playing the best hockey of his career. Last season, the 6-foot-4 righty shot had four goals, 15 assists and only 14 penalty minutes in 63 games while logging 20:31 minutes a night. Over his last 43 games, he recorded 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) and a plus-10 rating.
The Flyers had to make a roster move to activate Ristolainen off injured reserve. Ty Murchison, who made his NHL debut a week ago and was waivers exempt, was sent back to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.