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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 2018-19. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Jared Spurgeon MIN · 43 P in 82 GP Mattias Ekholm NSH · 44 P in 80 GP Oliver Ekman-Larsson ARI · 44 P in 81 GP Rasmus Dahlin BUF · 44 P in 82 GP Zach Werenski CBJ · 44 P in 82 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

2018-19 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
78 5 38 43 -41 38 182 235 0.55 2.7 24:38

Contract

$5.4MCap hitends in 2022, then UFA
$126KCap dollars per point43 points in 78 games
$2.231MCap dollars per goal above replacement2.4 goals above replacement
$2.3MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$3.1MValueworth 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 696 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 3 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 2018-19 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.

2018-19 analytics

Rating

+2.4Goals above replacement351st of 699 skaters, 103rd of 244 defencemen
+0.4Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-4.0Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 244 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-0.5 61st percentileEven-strength defence-2.5 17th percentilePower play+0.4 93rd percentilePenalty kill-0.3 21st percentilePenalties-1.2 26th 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

47.9Corsi for %1283 attempts for, 1393 against
-2.8CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
47.8Expected goals for %56.1 expected for, 61.3 against
-0.4xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
48.4Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
40.8Goals for %51 for, 74 against
97.5PDO6.7% shooting + 90.7% saves
221Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 591 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 Ristolainen47477:5948.751.716-23
Marco Scandella · Rasmus Ristolainen49286:1642.236.010-17
Rasmus Ristolainen · Lawrence Pilut24221:0355.156.18-10
Rasmus Ristolainen · Rasmus Dahlin62217:1647.350.88-9

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.

5Goalsnot counting empty-netters
9.4Expected goalsfrom 244 unblocked attempts
-4.4Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.29 expected goals per 60 minutes84th
Shot quality 3.9% chance per attempt80th
Finishing -4.4 goals above expected1stOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of defencemen he is ahead of, among the 244 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

02468Game 20Game 40Game 60Expected 9.4Goals 5

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 6, 2019 @ DET W 7-1 0 2 2 2 2 2 3 21:32
Apr 4, 2019 vs OTT W 5-2 0 1 1 0 0 3 7 23:41
Apr 2, 2019 vs NSH L 2-3 0 1 1 -1 0 0 6 23:45
Mar 25, 2019 @ NJD L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 20:03
Mar 23, 2019 @ MTL L 4-7 0 0 0 -3 0 3 0 21:43
Mar 20, 2019 vs TOR L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 0 1 22:42
Mar 17, 2019 vs STL W 4-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -2 2 0 2 21:31
Mar 16, 2019 @ CAR L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 25:34
Mar 14, 2019 vs PIT L 0-5 0 0 0 -1 0 2 3 24:19
Mar 12, 2019 vs DAL L 0-2 0 0 0 0 0 6 2 23:02
Mar 9, 2019 @ COL L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 0 3 4 23:10
Mar 7, 2019 @ CHI L 4-5 (SO) 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 27:50
Mar 4, 2019 vs EDM L 3-4 0 1 1 -2 0 3 3 22:41
Mar 2, 2019 @ TOR L 2-5 0 0 0 -2 0 2 6 23:27
Mar 1, 2019 vs PIT W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 4 26:22
Feb 26, 2019 @ PHI L 2-5 0 0 0 -3 2 1 2 21:09
Feb 25, 2019 @ TOR L 3-5 0 1 1 -3 0 2 5 26:11
Feb 23, 2019 vs WSH W 5-2 0 1 1 1 0 2 3 25:35
Feb 21, 2019 @ TBL L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 4 1 4 26:32
Feb 19, 2019 @ FLA L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 2 2 6 21:15
Feb 17, 2019 @ NJD L 1-4 0 0 0 -2 0 6 4 19:24
Feb 15, 2019 vs NYR L 2-6 0 0 0 -3 0 2 4 22:35
Feb 12, 2019 vs NYI W 3-1 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 23:53
Feb 10, 2019 vs WPG L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 3 2 24:06
Feb 9, 2019 vs DET W 3-1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 23:29
Feb 7, 2019 vs CAR L 5-6 (OT) 0 2 2 1 0 4 2 25:27
Feb 5, 2019 vs MIN W 5-4 (SO) 0 1 1 -1 0 1 3 24:29
Feb 1, 2019 vs CHI L 3-7 0 1 1 -3 2 3 3 24:31
Jan 30, 2019 @ DAL L 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 21:32
Jan 29, 2019 @ CBJ W 5-4 0 1 1 -1 0 4 1 26:10
Jan 18, 2019 @ VAN L 3-4 0 1 1 -2 0 3 4 23:32
Jan 16, 2019 @ CGY W 4-3 (OT) 0 1 1 -1 0 1 2 23:21
Jan 14, 2019 @ EDM L 2-7 0 1 1 -1 0 2 3 22:42
Jan 12, 2019 vs TBL L 3-5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 4 23:50
Jan 11, 2019 @ CAR L 3-4 0 0 0 1 2 1 4 26:05
Jan 8, 2019 vs NJD W 5-1 0 1 1 2 2 1 4 20:59
Jan 5, 2019 @ BOS L 1-2 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 23:03
Jan 3, 2019 vs FLA W 4-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 28:20
Dec 31, 2018 vs NYI L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 5 5 25:06
Dec 29, 2018 vs BOS L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 2 1 2 25:22
Dec 27, 2018 @ STL L 1-4 0 1 1 -2 0 1 2 20:56
Dec 22, 2018 vs ANA W 3-0 0 1 1 0 0 1 4 23:08
Dec 21, 2018 @ WSH L 1-2 0 1 1 0 0 6 1 24:27
Dec 18, 2018 vs FLA L 2-5 1 0 1 -1 2 4 2 24:19
Dec 16, 2018 @ BOS W 4-2 0 0 0 -1 0 2 5 23:22
Dec 15, 2018 @ WSH L 3-4 (SO) 0 1 1 1 0 4 3 31:43
Dec 13, 2018 vs ARI W 3-1 0 0 0 1 0 4 4 27:34
Dec 11, 2018 vs LAK W 4-3 (OT) 0 2 2 0 0 6 3 31:08
Dec 8, 2018 vs PHI L 2-6 0 1 1 -1 0 1 3 24:18
Dec 4, 2018 vs TOR L 3-4 (OT) 0 2 2 1 0 3 3 27:00
Dec 3, 2018 @ NSH L 1-2 0 0 0 1 0 2 2 26:53
Nov 30, 2018 @ FLA L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 2 3 1 26:44
Nov 29, 2018 @ TBL L 4-5 0 1 1 1 0 1 3 28:52
Nov 27, 2018 vs SJS W 3-2 (OT) 1 0 1 0 0 4 3 21:48
Nov 24, 2018 @ DET W 3-2 (SO) 0 1 1 -1 0 3 3 27:10
Nov 23, 2018 vs MTL W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 4 1 27:19
Nov 21, 2018 vs PHI W 5-2 0 1 1 1 2 1 3 23:06
Nov 19, 2018 @ PIT W 5-4 (OT) 0 2 2 2 0 2 6 26:56
Nov 17, 2018 @ MIN W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 21:30
Nov 16, 2018 @ WPG W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 26:31
Nov 13, 2018 vs TBL W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 9 28:08
Nov 10, 2018 vs VAN W 4-3 (SO) 0 2 2 1 2 6 2 25:11
Nov 8, 2018 @ MTL W 6-5 (OT) 1 0 1 0 2 3 4 26:25
Nov 4, 2018 @ NYR L 1-3 0 0 0 -2 0 2 4 25:13
Nov 3, 2018 vs OTT W 9-2 0 1 1 1 0 3 1 22:46
Nov 1, 2018 @ OTT L 2-4 0 1 1 -1 0 3 3 26:28
Oct 30, 2018 vs CGY L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -2 0 3 3 25:48
Oct 27, 2018 @ CBJ L 4-5 (OT) 0 0 0 -2 2 4 1 23:14
Oct 25, 2018 vs MTL W 4-3 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 26:05
Oct 21, 2018 @ ANA W 4-2 1 0 1 -1 0 5 5 24:07
Oct 20, 2018 @ LAK W 5-1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 26:17
Oct 18, 2018 @ SJS L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 5 24:29
Oct 16, 2018 @ VGK L 1-4 0 0 0 -3 0 1 2 24:29
Oct 13, 2018 @ ARI W 3-0 0 1 1 1 2 0 4 24:42
Oct 11, 2018 vs COL L 1-6 0 0 0 -2 0 4 3 27:07
Oct 8, 2018 vs VGK W 4-2 0 1 1 0 0 2 1 25:40
Oct 6, 2018 vs NYR W 3-1 0 1 1 1 0 4 2 26:57
Oct 4, 2018 vs BOS L 0-4 0 0 0 -2 0 2 5 24:12