Were the Philadelphia Flyers in talks to trade Rasmus Ristolainen to the Montreal Canadiens at the trade deadline?

Listening to GM Danny Briere say that the team was never actively shopping Ristolainen gives the impression that they were listening, but not shopping. There was a high price tag on the Flyers’ physical defenceman. One that was reported to mimic the Brandon Carlo trade package from the season before.

Ristolainen was never traded. Briere showed his willingness not to back down from his price, which will benefit him in the long run.

With more and more details from the trade deadline starting to come out, you can start to put pieces of the puzzle together to see a bigger picture of what may have been offered prior to the March 6th deadline.

Immediately following the deadline, Anthony Di Marco of the Daily Faceoff wrote why the Flyers held on to their defenseman. In that story, he mentioned two trade scenarios, both involving Eastern Conference teams, that were discussed.

Di Marco mentioned the Flyers offered Ristolainen and a roster player to an Eastern Conference team for a roster defenseman and a prospect.

With no other information – purely a hunch – that screams Boston to me. They were interested in Ristolainen, among Flyers players, and have prospects that interest Philly. They also showed a willingness to trade Mason Lohrei.

However, that’s not what we’re here to talk about. The other scenario Di Marco mentioned was discussions for the Flyers to get a first-rounder back for Ristolainen, but the Flyers would have had to take a bad contract in return, with no additional compensation. That did not interest the Flyers.

But here is why that is interesting.

Read More: PhHN Daily: Flyers Analysis; NCAA Signings; GM and Commish Clash

Friedman notes that the Canadiens tried to trade Patrik Laine to two teams, including the Flyers

On Thursday, Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman released his written 32 Thoughts. Thought No. 13 was sort of a shocker.

Friedman mentioned that the Montreal Canadiens were in discussions to try to trade winger Patrik Laine to two teams. Those teams were the Flyers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The intent was to move some money. Laine is on a hefty $8.7 million deal, even if it’s an expiring one. The goal was likely to free up some space to make an even bigger move.

Laine is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. So, his deal would have been off the books at the end of the year.

Reading between the lines, this report seems to align with Di Marco’s report that the Flyers could have gotten a first-round pick and a bad contract for Ristolainen, but they weren’t interested.

Currently, the Flyers have roughly $8.7 million in cap space, per Cap Wages, before things really open up next offseason. Ristolainen has a $5.1 million cap hit. So, if the Flyers had made this deal, they would have been left with about $5.1 million in cap space.

So hypothetically, yes, this is something the Flyers could have afforded to do. However, they clearly value Ristolainen highly, and that cap space is what will allow them to be flexible with call-ups for the remainder of the season. With no additional compensation, it would not have been worth it for the Flyers.

Not to mention, a cap dump of a contract like Laine’s would have likely needed a high pick along with it. If the rumors are aligned, the Canadiens offered a cap dump and half of Briere’s asking price for Ristolainen for the defenseman.

It’s important to remember this is just analyzing rumors. It’s possible the two insiders were talking about two separate deals. However, if the puzzle pieces fit, which they seem to, good on Briere for not backing down and just taking a first-round pick.

Read More: Flyers Blog: Philly Needs to Show Patience with Jett Luchanko