Flyers coach Brad Shaw offers crushing Rasmus Ristolainen injury update

Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen won't feature for the Philadelphia Flyers again this season.

The bruising blueliner has now missed 12 games after he suffered a suspected upper-body injury in the 5-2 Ottawa Senators loss on Mar. 11. Initially labeled "banged up," it is clear that the injury is more serious than it seemed. He will finish the season missing 19 games in total after being on the shelf for 51 games last year.

With Philadelphia (30-36-9) having just 69 points and all but eliminated from the playoffs, it makes sense to hold him out of the lineup to allow him to recuperate fully.

Flyers reporter Charlie O'Connor shared interim coach Brad Shaw's update on Ristolainen's status on X (formerly Twitter).

"Brad Shaw says that Rasmus Ristolainen's season is almost certainly over. Said he doesn't know the specific timeline, but he's not expecting him back the rest of the way," O'Connor wrote.

Rasmus Ristolainen now has two seasons left on his five-year, $25,500,000 contract. The defenseman - the eighth overall pick in 2013 - was traded by the Buffalo Sabres to Philadelphia in the 2021 offseason for Robert Hagg. The Sabres also received the 2021 first-round pick and a 2023 second-round pick.

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Rasmus Ristolainen was enjoying a strong season in 2024-25

Rasmus Ristolainen found his mojo in 2024-25, having a cumulative average of 13.3 points over three seasons in Philadelphia.

The 30-year-old's 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) in 63 games is one shy of his previous best for the club (20, 2022-23 season). Meanwhile, Ristolainen's four-goal tally is his best return for Philly while having registered a +3 rating, the first in his 12-year NHL career.

With Philadelphia amid a rebuild, it's fair to wonder whether Ristolainen, whose name surfaced in rumors at the trade deadline, could find himself on a new team this summer after re-establishing his value this season.

The Flyers will play without Ristolainen on Monday night when they host the Nashville Predators. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST at the Wells Fargo Center.