It feels more likely than ever that the Philadelphia Flyers are going to be trading veteran defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. The stars are aligning before the March 6 trade deadline for this team to cash in on the hulking rearguard and move on while also opening up a roster spot for a younger player. A classic rebuilding move.<\/p>\n
But, unfortunately to make a trade you also need a second team to agree to it, and the Flyers just lost one potential option that was reportedly interested in Ristolainen.<\/p>\n
According to multiple reports<\/a>, the Edmonton Oilers were picking up the phone and dialing Flyers general manager Danny Briere to see what it would take to acquire the 6-foot-4 Finnish defender. The ask from Philadelphia\u2019s side was a first-round pick or a young player or prospect that holds equal value \u2014 that has been repeated ad nauseum when any discussion regarding a potential Ristolainen trade has come up.<\/p>\n With all of that information, and knowing that Ristolainen\u2019s contract is through the end of next season, the Oilers decided to opt for a different 6-foot-4 right-handed defenseman.<\/p>\n Flyers lose potential trade partner for Rasmus Ristolainen<\/p>\n Instead of going and trying to make the money work, or navigate the trade negotiation with Briere, Oilers general manager Stan Bowman decided to instead go and get the Chicago Blackhawks\u2019 most veteran defenseman.<\/p>\n Trade call is not expected to be formally completed until later tonight, but EDM and CHI have agreed upon:<\/p>\n To #LetsGoOilers<\/a>: To #Blackhawks<\/a>: \u2014 Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Connor Murphy, a 32-year-old right-handed defenseman that has been eating loads of minutes on the rebuild Chicago Blackhawks and has been very solid defensively while doing it, has been traded to the Oilers for a 2028 second-round pick. Half of his salary will be retained by Chicago.<\/p>\n The trade is not official yet, but according to other reports, the deal will be cemented Monday night due to some cap fenagling<\/a>.<\/p>\n That\u2019s generally bad news for the Flyers and what it means for the Ristolainen trade and possible return. <\/p>\n The Oilers are a little tight on cap space, so sure, they had to waive winger Andrew Mangiapane and defenseman Alec Regula, saving a couple million bucks as they\u2019re down in the AHL to then add the $2.2 million for Murphy. Even before the trade, they were in the tens of thousands in available cap space \u2014 so we\u2019re not even sure how they\u2019re going to do it but that\u2019s a problem for Oilers management.<\/p>\n Ristolainen\u2019s $5.1-million AAV for the next two seasons could have been plenty too rich for Edmonton, especially if the Flyers were a little hesitant, or asking for a whole lot more in the trade return, to retain on his salary. But that doesn\u2019t even really matter anymore since Edmonton got their guy \u2014 this could spell out disaster for those fans (and Briere) who wants the Flyers to get the most possible in return for Ristolainen.<\/p>\n Basically, the Oilers got a very similar defenseman \u2014 Murphy might not be as physical or hold the same reputation as Ristolainen around the league but is just as, if not more, impactful on the ice \u2014 for a future second-round pick and got the other team to retain salary. This spells out that either Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson was tired of waiting around to trade away his rental blueliner, or the market is just so inflated with so many similar defensemen <\/a>that this is truly the price of someone who is very comfortable on a second pairing.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not what anyone wants to hear. It\u2019s hard to imagine the Flyers caving and trading Ristolainen for anything less than a first-round pick right now. They still have him under contract through next season and could very well keep on trying for a trade, knowing that the worst-case scenario is that they get a future second-round pick for him as a rental this time next year (unless he is injured).<\/p>\n The trade deadline is still days away. The Flyers have until 3:00 p.m. on Friday to make any potential Ristolainen deal, but all signs are pointing to them potentially keeping him just because they couldn\u2019t get the trade package they want.<\/p>\n Or, maybe a team has fallen in love with Ristolainen\u2019s performance at the Olympics<\/a> and will give the Flyers what they want. Let\u2019s hope.<\/p>\n \t
D Connor Murphy (50% retained)<\/p>\n
2028 EDM 2nd Round Pick<\/p>\n