Edmonton Oilers showing trade interest in Flyers defenceman Ristolainen

The Edmonton Oilers are reportedly kicking the tires on Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Rasmus Ristolainen.

This interest was first reported by Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos on Monday, while also indicating the Finnish blueliner has likely played his final game in a Flyers sweater.

“There’s a very good chance Ristolainen is finally traded this summer before he heads into the final year of his contract,” Kypreos wrote.

“Look for the Oilers to be a team with lots of interest here.”

Kypreos isn’t the only prominent hockey media member who has heard rumblings of Ristolainen to the Oilers, either.

“The Senators have been chasing Rasmus Ristolainen of the Philadelphia Flyers since last spring’s trade deadline, but haven’t been able to offer up the necessary assets to get a deal done. They are one of several teams in that bidding, also including the Edmonton Oilers,” Bruce Garrioch wrote in the Ottawa Citizen.

Ristolainen, 31, has spent the past five seasons with the Flyers. Prior to that stint, he played parts of eight seasons with the Buffalo Sabres.

This past season saw the 6-foot-4, 208-pound Ristolainen suit up for just 44 games due to injury. He was able to play in all 10 Flyers playoff outings, where he recorded five points while averaging exactly 25 minutes in ice time.

While Ristolainen does have some flaws to his game, he can log heavy minutes while generally being steady defensively. He would be a relatively low-risk bet for the Oilers, as he’s set to enter the final year of his contract, which carries a $5.1 million cap hit.

If a trade involving Ristolainen does go down between these two teams, you have to wonder if Darnell Nurse is heading the other way.

Nurse, who recently requested a trade out of Edmonton, has reportedly been receiving interest from the Flyers. That said, the 31-year-old holds all the cards thanks to his no-movement clause.

Given that the Oilers have just $7.4 million in cap space and have several holes to fill, it’s difficult to envision landing Ristolainen with Nurse still on the roster. The 31-year-old still has four seasons remaining on his contract, which pays him a whopping $9.25 million annually.

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