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Rasmus Ristolainen

#55 · Defence · Philadelphia Flyers

Born Oct 27, 1994 in Turku, FIN (age 31) · 6'4", 208 lb · Shoots right · Drafted 8th overall in 2013 by BUF (round 1)

Compare with a similar player

The defencemen closest to him in points in 2016-17. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Nick Leddy NYI · 46 P in 81 GP Drew Doughty LAK · 44 P in 82 GP Zach Werenski CBJ · 47 P in 78 GP Jake Gardiner TOR · 43 P in 82 GP Alex Pietrangelo STL · 48 P in 80 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

0102030402013-14: 4 points413-142014-15: 20 points2014-152015-16: 41 points4115-162016-17: 45 points4516-172017-18: 41 points4117-182018-19: 43 points4318-192019-20: 33 points3319-202020-21: 18 points1820-212021-22: 16 points1621-222022-23: 20 points2022-232023-24: 4 points423-242024-25: 19 points1924-252025-26: 14 points1425-262026-27: 1 points126-27

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2013-14 BUF 34 2 2 4 -15 6 52 66 0.12 $925K
2014-15 BUF 78 8 12 20 -32 26 121 118 0.26 $925K
2015-16 BUF 82 9 32 41 -21 33 202 139 0.50 $925K
2016-17 BUF 79 6 39 45 -9 58 186 195 0.57 $5.4M
2017-18 BUF 73 6 35 41 -25 48 182 206 0.56 $5.4M
2018-19 BUF 78 5 38 43 -41 38 182 235 0.55 $5.4M
2019-20 BUF 69 6 27 33 -2 46 128 203 0.48 $5.4M
2020-21 BUF 49 4 14 18 -18 36 73 193 0.37 $5.4M
2021-22 PHI 66 2 14 16 -9 38 97 230 0.24 $5.4M
2022-23 PHI 74 3 17 20 -4 32 86 162 0.27 $5.1M
2023-24 PHI 31 1 3 4 -6 8 46 56 0.13 $5.1M
2024-25 PHI 63 4 15 19 3 14 100 97 0.30 $5.1M
2025-26 PHI 44 1 13 14 10 16 58 48 0.32 $5.1M
2026-27 PHI 3 1 0 1 0 0 4 4 0.33 $5.1M
14 seasons Career 823 58 261 319 -169 399 1517 1952 0.39

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2025-26 PHI 10 1 4 5 1 20 18 20 0.50
1 season Playoffs 10 1 4 5 1 20 18 20 0.50

2016-17 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
79 6 39 45 -9 58 186 195 0.57 3.2 26:28

Contract

$5.4MCap hitends in 2022, then UFA
$120KCap dollars per point45 points in 79 games
$9.202MCap dollars per goal above replacement0.6 goals above replacement
$949KWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$4.5MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 664 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Buffalo Sabres on Oct 11, 2016, as a new contract: 6 years and $32.4M, beginning in 2016-17. It runs through 2021-22, with 5 seasons left after this one, and he is then an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2016-17 $5.4M $5.4M $0 $5.4M
2017-18 $5.4M $5.4M $0 $5.4M
2018-19 $5.4M $5.4M $0 $5.4M
2019-20 $5.4M $5.4M $0 $5.4M
2020-21 $5.4M $4.4M $1M $5.4M
2021-22 $5.4M $5.4M $0 $5.4M

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
Mar 10, 2022 Philadelphia Flyers Extension 2022-23 to 2026-27 5 $25.5M $5.1M
Oct 11, 2016 Buffalo Sabres New contract 2016-17 to 2021-22 6 $32.4M $5.4M
Jul 12, 2013 Buffalo Sabres Entry-level 2013-14 to 2015-16 3 $5.325M $925K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2016-17 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2016-17 analytics

Rating

+0.6Goals above replacement456th of 664 skaters, 139th of 229 defencemen
+0.1Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-6.4Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 229 ranked defencemen: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence-0.2 62nd percentileEven-strength defence-3.3 11th percentilePower play+0.4 93rd percentilePenalty kill-2.7 1st percentilePenalties-0.6 52nd percentile

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among defencemen. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

-6-4-202462013-142015-162017-182019-202021-222023-242025-26Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

43.7Corsi for %1274 attempts for, 1639 against
-5.7CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
46.5Expected goals for %53.7 expected for, 61.9 against
-0.9xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
43.7Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
45.5Goals for %51 for, 61 against
100.4PDO7.1% shooting + 93.3% saves
215Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 565 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Defence pairGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Jake McCabe · Rasmus Ristolainen63618:5645.846.229-32
Josh Gorges · Rasmus Ristolainen59435:2441.847.79-14
Dmitry Kulikov · Rasmus Ristolainen37287:1743.843.46-9
Justin Falk · Rasmus Ristolainen3452:0741.655.01-0

The pairs he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's pairs that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

6Goalsnot counting empty-netters
8.4Expected goalsfrom 246 unblocked attempts
-2.4Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.24 expected goals per 60 minutes71st
Shot quality 3.4% chance per attempt69th
Finishing -2.4 goals above expected12thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of defencemen he is ahead of, among the 229 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

02468Game 20Game 40Game 60Expected 8.4Goals 6

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 9, 2017 @ TBL L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 21:45
Apr 8, 2017 @ FLA L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 22:56
Apr 5, 2017 vs MTL W 2-1 1 0 1 1 2 3 2 23:03
Apr 3, 2017 vs TOR L 2-4 0 0 0 0 12 0 1 20:03
Apr 2, 2017 vs NYI L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 26:23
Mar 21, 2017 vs PIT L 1-3 0 0 0 0 15 1 1 03:04
Mar 20, 2017 @ DET W 2-1 0 1 1 -1 0 3 1 27:39
Mar 17, 2017 @ ANA W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 30:02
Mar 16, 2017 @ LAK L 0-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 6 26:35
Mar 14, 2017 @ SJS L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 25:48
Mar 11, 2017 vs CBJ W 5-3 0 2 2 2 0 0 2 32:07
Mar 10, 2017 @ CBJ L 3-4 1 0 1 1 2 2 0 23:13
Mar 7, 2017 vs PHI L 3-6 0 1 1 -5 0 4 7 25:45
Mar 5, 2017 @ PIT L 3-4 0 0 0 0 0 5 2 29:50
Mar 4, 2017 vs TBL L 1-2 (SO) 0 1 1 -1 0 1 4 33:13
Mar 2, 2017 vs ARI W 6-3 0 1 1 2 0 6 1 24:39
Feb 28, 2017 vs NSH L 4-5 (OT) 0 0 0 0 2 5 4 25:18
Feb 26, 2017 @ ARI L 2-3 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 25:39
Feb 25, 2017 @ COL L 3-5 0 1 1 -3 0 6 0 25:30
Feb 19, 2017 vs CHI L 1-5 0 1 1 -1 0 0 3 23:15
Feb 18, 2017 vs STL W 3-2 0 1 1 0 0 3 2 25:48
Feb 16, 2017 vs COL W 2-0 0 1 1 0 0 5 3 23:39
Feb 14, 2017 @ OTT W 3-2 0 1 1 1 0 2 2 26:03
Feb 12, 2017 vs VAN L 2-4 0 1 1 0 0 2 2 30:00
Feb 11, 2017 @ TOR W 3-1 0 0 0 1 7 3 3 23:49
Feb 9, 2017 vs ANA L 2-5 1 0 1 -1 0 3 1 28:35
Feb 7, 2017 vs SJS W 5-4 (OT) 0 1 1 -1 0 3 1 28:56
Feb 6, 2017 @ NJD L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 24:33
Feb 4, 2017 vs OTT W 4-0 0 1 1 1 0 0 4 25:11
Feb 2, 2017 vs NYR L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 3 2 32:47
Jan 31, 2017 @ MTL L 2-5 0 0 0 0 0 6 5 26:02
Jan 26, 2017 @ DAL L 3-4 0 0 0 0 0 4 3 29:23
Jan 24, 2017 @ NSH W 5-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 29:54
Jan 21, 2017 @ MTL W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 29:36
Jan 20, 2017 vs DET W 3-2 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 3 3 35:24
Jan 17, 2017 @ TOR L 3-4 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 26:05
Jan 16, 2017 vs DAL W 4-1 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 26:13
Jan 13, 2017 @ CAR L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 2 2 0 20:54
Jan 12, 2017 @ TBL L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 2 1 27:20
Jan 10, 2017 vs PHI W 4-1 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 27:51
Jan 7, 2017 vs WPG W 4-3 0 0 0 2 0 4 3 30:22
Jan 5, 2017 @ CHI L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 -1 0 3 1 28:50
Jan 3, 2017 @ NYR W 4-1 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 26:17
Dec 31, 2016 @ BOS L 1-3 0 1 1 1 2 2 4 28:56
Dec 29, 2016 vs BOS L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 2 6 29:35
Dec 27, 2016 @ DET W 4-3 0 1 1 0 0 4 2 25:36
Dec 23, 2016 @ NYI L 1-5 0 0 0 -2 2 1 3 22:27
Dec 22, 2016 vs CAR L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 3 27:31
Dec 20, 2016 @ FLA L 3-4 (SO) 1 1 2 0 0 1 1 28:57
Dec 17, 2016 @ CAR L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 25:18
Dec 16, 2016 vs NYI W 3-2 (OT) 1 1 2 2 0 3 4 26:56
Dec 13, 2016 vs LAK W 6-3 0 2 2 1 0 0 5 22:04
Dec 9, 2016 vs WSH L 1-4 0 1 1 0 0 4 2 30:11
Dec 6, 2016 vs EDM W 4-3 (OT) 1 2 3 1 0 3 4 29:58
Dec 5, 2016 @ WSH L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 3 11 29:51
Dec 3, 2016 vs BOS L 1-2 0 0 0 -2 0 3 4 29:09
Dec 1, 2016 vs NYR W 4-3 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 26:32
Nov 29, 2016 @ OTT W 5-4 0 2 2 -1 0 3 3 27:54
Nov 25, 2016 @ WSH L 1-3 0 0 0 -2 0 5 4 27:26
Nov 23, 2016 vs DET L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 5 3 29:02
Nov 21, 2016 vs CGY W 4-2 0 1 1 0 0 1 3 24:57
Nov 19, 2016 vs PIT W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 29:56
Nov 17, 2016 vs TBL L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 29:53
Nov 15, 2016 @ STL L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 27:37
Nov 12, 2016 @ NJD L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 2 1 27:15
Nov 11, 2016 vs NJD L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 2 2 4 24:48
Nov 9, 2016 vs OTT L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 4 4 29:57
Nov 7, 2016 @ BOS L 0-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 21:16
Nov 5, 2016 @ OTT W 2-1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 25:54
Nov 3, 2016 vs TOR L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 25:29
Nov 1, 2016 @ MIN W 2-1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 25:18
Oct 30, 2016 @ WPG W 3-1 0 0 0 1 2 3 3 26:23
Oct 29, 2016 vs FLA W 3-0 0 1 1 0 2 1 2 24:02
Oct 27, 2016 vs MIN L 0-4 0 0 0 -1 2 5 5 26:43
Oct 25, 2016 @ PHI L 3-4 (SO) 0 1 1 0 2 0 2 25:16
Oct 20, 2016 @ VAN L 1-2 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 23:28
Oct 18, 2016 @ CGY L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 -2 0 0 2 26:04
Oct 16, 2016 @ EDM W 6-2 0 3 3 1 0 2 1 26:43
Oct 13, 2016 vs MTL L 1-4 0 1 1 -2 0 5 2 23:17