The tough start to the 2026-27 NHL campaign for the Philadelphia Flyers continued on Saturday evening, as former Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere scored in overtime to give the Carolina Hurricanes a 3-2 OT win at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
With the loss, the Flyers dropped to 0-1-2 on the season, still looking for their first win. But losing on the scoreboard wasn’t the only loss suffered by the Flyers during the game.
Philadelphia Flyers Lose Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen To Undisclosed Injury During OT Setback Against Hurricanes
The Flyers lost defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen during Saturday’s setback against the Hurricanes to an undisclosed injury.
“Injury update: Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen will be out for the remainder of tonight’s game. He will be re-evaluated on Sunday,” the Flyers reported on X, formerly known as Twitter.
While there was no official cause listed of his injury, speculation built that he may have been hurt when he blocked a shot with his hand during the second period.
Meanwhile, fans began chiming in following the announcement from the Flyers, with many of them accusing the Finnish blue liner of essentially being made of glass.
“This dude is made of glass. He’s just gonna disappear and be day to day for the rest of the year. Should’ve traded him when we had the chance and he had a little value,” one fan said.
This fan said, “Made of glass this guy.”
Another fan wrote, “Should have e traded him before.”
“hes gonna be out til april, isnt he??” another fan inquired.
Rasmus Ristolainen Is In The Last Year Of His Contract
The Buffalo Sabres took Ristolainen in the first round (eighth overall pick) in the 2013 NHL Draft, and he spent the first several years of his career with the team.
Buffalo eventually traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2021 for Robert Hagg, a first-round pick that year and a 2023 second-rounder. Ristolainen later agreed to a five-year contract extension with Philadelphia in March 2022.
He’s in the final year of said contract that carries a salary cap hit of $5.1 million.
So far in his NHL career, he’s tallied 58 goals with 261 assists in 822 games; he’s also tallied one goal with four assists in 10 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, which all came earlier this spring.
Flyers Lose $25.5 Million Veteran In Loss To Hurricanes