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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 11: Rasmus Ristolainen #55 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates during the third period against the Washington Capitals at Xfinity Mobile Arena on March 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

The Edmonton Oilers have been off to a pretty busy start this offseason. They recently signed forward Jason Dickinson to a five-year, $20 million contract extension. They also locked up defenseman Connor Murphy, signing him to a five-year, $20.5 million contract extension.

While it is good that the Oilers kept Dickinson and Murphy around, it is clear that they should not be done making moves. The Oilers have several roster needs to address this offseason if they hope to have better results during the 2026-27 season.

One of the Oilers’ top objectives should be to add another impactful right-shot defenseman. Because of this, they are being viewed as a potential suitor for a notable defenseman on the Philadelphia Flyers.

Oilers Expected to Have ‘Lots of Interest’ in Flyers Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen

Nick Kypreos recently released his latest trade board for Sportsnet. Among the players whom Kypreos listed as a trade candidate is defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. It is not difficult to understand why, as Ristolainen has been one of the most-talked-about players in the rumor mill for multiple years.

Interestingly, Kypreos also specifically mentioned the Oilers as a team that will likely be interested in acquiring Ristolainen this summer.

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

With the Oilers’ right side needing a boost, it is understandable that they are being viewed as a potential suitor for Ristolainen this off-season. If they acquired him from the Flyers, he could slot very nicely on their second pairing and their penalty kill.

If the Oilers struck a deal for Ristolainen, he would form a strong trio with Evan Bouchard and Murphy on Edmonton’s right side. This would certainly make the Oilers look stronger on paper as they look to prove that they can still be true contenders.

Oilers Won’t Be the Only Team Interested in Flyers’ Ristolainen

With Ristolainen being a big right-shot defenseman who can play top-four minutes, there is no question that he is going to generate a lot of interest during this offseason. Because of this, the Oilers will have competition if they make a serious push for the Flyers’ blueliner this summer.

The Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Dallas Stars, Ottawa Senators, and Anaheim Ducks are a few teams that could make sense as potential suitors for Ristolainen. Like the Oilers, they all could use some help on their right side of their bluelines.

It will be interesting to see if the Oilers end up making a push for Ristolainen this summer. He would have the potential to be a nice addition, as he is exactly the kind of hard-nosed and big blueliner that playoff teams love to have on their rosters.

In 44 games this past season with the Flyers, Ristolainen posted one goal, 13 assists, 14 points, 48 blocks, 63 hits, and a plus-10 rating. He is entering the final season of his five-year, $25.5 million contract, where he carries a $5.1 million cap hit.