Rasmus Ristolainen: The $5M, 0 percentile defenseman

[deadhead]

It appears you've forgotten the Ghost trade, Voracek trade, bringing in both Thompson and Grant, bringing Thompson back, his waiver antics, the needless shedding of draft picks, signing Yandle, the Talbot/Stolarz incident, deciding Jones was the best option over all others, doubling down on his coaches, hiring Lappy, etc.

You don't get a team as degraded as this one is with only a single questionable decision.

No. Ghost was a salary dump, no one wanted him, though it cost less to dump him than Zito paid to dump Stralman.
The Voracek deal was a draw, Atkinson is outplaying him 5x5, Voracek is a better PP player but Atkinson is a good PK player.

Thompson and Grant were low cost TDL moves, and he got picks back at the TDL for Raffl and Gus.
Talbot/Stolarz was meaningless, Stolarz was a UFA after that season, and is on his third team now.
Jones was the best one year option, who was better who didn't demand a multi-year deal?

After hearing Scott lusting for Tocchet, I wonder whether AV was Fletcher's idea or the best "name" Scott would settle for (what were the alternative "names" at that time? 7 HCs were hired that year, Q, Eakins, Krueger, Tippett, McClellan, D.J. Smith.

Q, Krueger, AV have been fired, the only one having success so far is McClellan in Edmonton.

 

[Ainec]

With Benning and Bergevin now fired, he becomes harder to trade

Yeah Benning is the only GM that would take Risto.

Sorry guys

 

[renberg]

Myers has been benched in Nashville for 27 year old Matt Benning and 32 year old Mark Borowiecki. So that's equivalent to being benched for MacDonald and Hagg. We'll see if he ever develops.

Patrick went on IR on October 27 with an "undisclosed upper body injury." "Nolan Patrick is at morning skate today in a red non-contact jersey." Yes, been there before. One more hit and his career may be over.

Myers played fifteen minutes last night

 

[Beef Invictus]

Guys, they didn't have any choice but to spend every premium asset they had in an effort to acquire a RHD, no matter how Injury prone or terrible they are.

Look, it was all AV. The moment Fletcher was hired AV was there forcing him to make bad moves, even before he forced Fletcher to hire him. Then Scott saved the day and let Fletcher know he actually has the power to fire AV. Even though Scott is somehow also to blame for all these things Fletcher apparently hasn't done. But if he did do them, it's on Scott. And AV. Who forced him to do it. While Scott also forced him.

Fletcher is free now. There's no way he'd do anything else stupid from this point on. Like, for example, refusing to call up Zamula. He wouldn't do that! He's too smart and perfect.

 

[Starat327]

Look, it was all AV. The moment Fletcher was hired AV was there forcing him to make bad moves, even before he forced Fletcher to hire him. Then Scott saved the day and let Fletcher know he actually has the power to fire AV. Even though Scott is somehow also to blame for all these things Fletcher apparently hasn't done. But if he did do them, it's on Scott. And AV. Who forced him to do it. While Scott also forced him.

Fletcher is free now. There's no way he'd do anything else stupid from this point on. Like, for example, refusing to call up Zamula. He wouldn't do that! He's too smart and perfect.

I cant see it, but I am not at all surprised to hear this being the narrative.

 

[Beef Invictus]

No. Ghost was a salary dump, no one wanted him, though it cost less to dump him than Zito paid to dump Stralman.
The Voracek deal was a draw, Atkinson is outplaying him 5x5, Voracek is a better PP player but Atkinson is a good PK player.

Thompson and Grant were low cost TDL moves, and he got picks back at the TDL for Raffl and Gus.
Talbot/Stolarz was meaningless, Stolarz was a UFA after that season, and is on his third team now.
Jones was the best one year option, who was better who didn't demand a multi-year deal?

After hearing Scott lusting for Tocchet, I wonder whether AV was Fletcher's idea or the best "name" Scott would settle for (what were the alternative "names" at that time? 7 HCs were hired that year, Q, Eakins, Krueger, Tippett, McClellan, D.J. Smith.

Q, Krueger, AV have been fired, the only one having success so far is McClellan in Edmonton.

Ghost was a massive mistake. The team is worse without him. A terrible move.

Grant and Thompson made the team worse. Thompson still makes the team worse. Shedding two goalies who would make the team better right now isn't "nothing." Making the team worse over time isn't "nothing." You talk so much about how goaltending is the only thing that matters, you should be shrieking mad about that.

Ah yes. Fletcher has no power and is just the pathetic bitchboy pawn of an empty suit. Man, that's really sad. He can't convince a no-knowledge outsider to hire someone better than AV and MT and just had to meekly go along with it? That's pathetic. Also, totally unbelievable.

And if you think Fletcher isn't just as excited about Tocchet, you have not been paying attention to Fletcher's need to address the defense (and now, get it going so his failures on that front don't look as bad) and you also haven't laid attention to how incredibly unoriginal he has been through his whole career.

Here's the truth: Fletcher isn't the sad empty meatpuppet of a domineering AV and Scott. He's just a garbage GM who does garbage things. That's what he's always been. You're talking about the guy who traded Brent Burns for Setoguchi. Who sheds first and second rounders at a rate Holmgren would question. Who wrecked a good teams chemistry with an awful value Hanzsl rental. Who learned nothing and did that again with Thompson and Grant. Who lost value on Voracek, lost value on Ghost, lost value on Friedman, lost value on NAK, and brutally lost the Ristolainen trade.

Before he's done here he will be in the Benning category of GMs. And no amount of pretending everyone else is dictating his moves without a scrap of proof changes the fact that he actually did all these moves. And guess what? They matter. You've been watching their sum all year.

Yes truly those coaches you've listed, and Tocchet, are the only ones in existence. The only options.

 

[renberg]

I buy in with the idea that AV leaned heavily on Fletcher to get what he wanted done. Maybe that was part of the deal when AV was hired. Maybe Fletcher tried the team work cooperative leadership group thing that is popular these days. Maybe Fletcher is a pushover. Whatever. Bad moves were made. Some can be rectified by a take charge GM. Actually that may be what Scott wants-a GM with the guts to take control. I don’t think that Scott wants to get into the micro-managing of the club. It’s not his area of expertise.

 

[deadhead]

Myers played fifteen minutes last night

Ekholm and Benning are injured.
Borowiecki played 19:38, Myers 15:50, Harpur 13:20.
So they consider him better than 27 year Harpur, that's like being ahead of Seeler on the depth chart.

 

[renberg]

Ekholm and Benning are injured.
Borowiecki played 19:38, Myers 15:50, Harpur 13:20.
So they consider him better than 27 year Harpur, that's like being ahead of Seeler on the depth chart.

He still played fifteen minutes on the ice last night in a win and was error free. Care to discuss Seeler, Yandle, and Ristolainen’s play on Monday night?

 

[deadhead]

I buy in with the idea that AV leaned heavily on Fletcher to get what he wanted done. Maybe that was part of the deal when AV was hired. Maybe Fletcher tried the team work cooperative leadership group thing that is popular these days. Maybe Fletcher is a pushover. Whatever. Bad moves were made. Some can be rectified by a take charge GM. Actually that may be what Scott wants-a GM with the guts to take control. I don’t think that Scott wants to get into the micro-managing of the club. It’s not his area of expertise.

When you give a "name" HC a 5yr/$25M deal, he has a lot of pull.
Does anyone think any move was made in Florida without Q's approval?
When you hire a guy like that, it's a deal with the Devil.

Fletcher tried to minimize the assets spent his first year with a "win now" mandate, he wasn't brought in to finish Hextall's rebuild.
This summer I'm sure it came down to getting AV what he demanded he needed to make this team a winner.
AV didn't want Ghost or Voracek, Ghost had negative value, getting Atkinson and shedding Voracek's salary was as good as you could expect. Yandle and Brassard were AV's boys. AV is the one who played Thompson over Bunnaman two years ago.

Now we'll see what Fletcher really wants to do, he has carte blanche until he hires the next HC, and if he hires someone without "pull," then he'll get to make the moves and not keep a HC happy. Tocchet for example, doesn't have near the cachet of AV or Q or Lavi. A young upcoming HC will have no pull at all.

 

[Flyerfan4life]

Look, it was all AV. The moment Fletcher was hired AV was there forcing him to make bad moves, even before he forced Fletcher to hire him. Then Scott saved the day and let Fletcher know he actually has the power to fire AV. Even though Scott is somehow also to blame for all these things Fletcher apparently hasn't done. But if he did do them, it's on Scott. And AV. Who forced him to do it. While Scott also forced him.

Fletcher is free now. There's no way he'd do anything else stupid from this point on. Like, for example, refusing to call up Zamula. He wouldn't do that! He's too smart and perfect.

Zing...

 

[Knarf9o5o1o4o9]

Sounds like we're going to get the worst of both worlds with Risto.

Plays well enough in the eyes of management to get the long term extension, but poorly enough for everyone who knows better to know that it will be a colossal mistake and will hinder any chance at a proper rebuild.

 

[Ironmanrulez]

LeBrun: Hurricanes' negotiations with Dougie Hamilton, Kraken prepared for big free agency, Flyers shake up roster

In my eyes that is no legit Source, its more of a free pass for a trade all questioned from the beginnend. If the teams would be named it would be another case

 

[Ironmanrulez]

ok guys. I dont want to, but its starting! All things are pointing to a HUGE extension for Fisto!

He was damaged on the eye from a puck!
He is loved by the fan base, coaches, teammates cause he is a f***ING FLYER,
He is HUGE,
The beats making him the poster boi right now
We payed the moon for him, so we need to save face


Guys can someone pls shoot me!

 

[Curufinwe]

You can.

 

[FlyerNutter]

ok guys. I dont want to, but its starting! All things are pointing to a HUGE extension for Fisto!

He was damaged on the eye from a puck!
He is loved by the fan base, coaches, teammates cause he is a f***ING FLYER,
He is HUGE,
The beats making him the poster boi right now
We payed the moon for him, so we need to save face


Guys can someone pls shoot me!

A huge extension for the man is nothing but pure perfection.

Adding him to the lengthy contract list with Hayes is genius. Fletcher is setting us up perfectly, without even knowing it.

Gimme gimme a Chuck after midnight.

 

[deadhead]

Risto is not getting "big" money from the Flyers or any other team.
He's a big RHD, which ups his value (scarcity) but he's also a 2nd pair D-man, and they don't get the big bucks.

Tyler Myers, Eric Johnson would be the ceiling at $6M - but those were pre-COVID deals.
Pionk $5.85M
Oleksiak $4.6M
Tanev $4.5M
Dumoulin $4.1M
Dillon $3.9M

 

[Ironmanrulez]

And can we take one second of silence and look what our community leaders thought about this trade!

I love it. They gave up jack shit and filled an immediate need with a mean 6'4" RHD with 4 40 point seasons, only age 26.

It's clear they weren't enamored with what would likely be available at pick 13. Probably have some guys they would have considered at 13 who they think will be there at 45 in this draft (Wyatt Johnson???).

I like it. Adding Risto and Ellis vs losing Hagg, Myers, Ghost.

Stupid trade, but interesting point, look at quality of competition and quality of teammates for Ghost and Risto - Ghost will struggle in Arizona and Risto should play better in Philly.

However, simply no reason to trade the 1st for a question mark on a one year deal, certainly worth a gamble, but not where you should be paying through the nose.

At least Deadhead was clear that the trade was bad in value!

 

[Ironmanrulez]

Risto is not getting "big" money from the Flyers or any other team.
He's a big RHD, which ups his value (scarcity) but he's also a 2nd pair D-man, and they don't get the big bucks.

Tyler Myers, Eric Johnson would be the ceiling at $6M - but those were pre-COVID deals.
Pionk $5.85M
Oleksiak $4.6M
Tanev $4.5M
Dumoulin $4.1M
Dillon $3.9M

You really think 1. Fisto will take a paycut to play with the flyers??? or 2. Chucky is able to get Fisto to take a reasonable salary? You believe in Santa Claus? I bet you do!

And if Fisto takes the same salary he gets now for say 5 years, he will be overpayed nevertheless in my eyes! He is a nr5 or n6 dman in this league! He is what our managment thought Schenn would be. What Grossman was before his injuries. He is nothing you pay big bucks for! If he gets a new contract with the flyers it will be AMAC all over again!

 

[Lindberg]

We've now read every excuse under the sun.

Coaching didn't matter for the longest time and now it does. If coaching isn't that important than making a "deal with the devil" is a very poor decision. You fire the coach before expending a bunch of assets to shape the roster as he needs it to be.

Chuck Fletcher clearly didn't make a deal with the devil. He clearly thinks Ian Lapierrie is a good coach, that Risto was worth the deal, and such.

 

[CutOnDime97]

Mike Harrington: Flyers are new for Rasmus Ristolainen but it has to feel the same

That stings

 

[FLYguy3911]

Go back to his days in Finland. He's played on terrible teams for a decade now. Makes you wonder...

 

[Embiid]

I am sure it has been discussed but is the dude the Sabres drafted Isak Rosen with our pick showing any promise or anybody else chosen after him in the first round for that matter? It just is so insulting how Fletcher gave so much for Fisto...

 

[VladDrag]

I am sure it has been discussed but is the dude the Sabres drafted Isak Rosen with our pick showing any promise or anybody else chosen after him in the first round for that matter? It just is so insulting how Fletcher gave so much for Fisto...

I really don't know, but here's Will Scouch's report on him:

 

[Embiid]

Mike Harrington: Flyers are new for Rasmus Ristolainen but it has to feel the same

That stings

There is nothing new about any of this even at 26...lol

"When I was 18 I came to Buffalo I think it was a perfect place for me," he said. "I didn't speak too good English. Before, I lived with my parents. I was mentally a little kid. And now I believe I'm a grown man. And it's been nice to see a little bigger city."