John Tortorella knows veteran rearguard Rasmus Ristolainen can be a lightning rod for criticism, and the Philadelphia Flyers coach isn't having it.
"You (media) guys are gonna hate him," he said Monday. "You guys write all this shit. Well, I shouldn't say hate. That's not the proper word to use in today's world. I just felt he's been under a microscope as far as since I've been here. ... My first year (in 2022-23), it was a tough year for me with him, but since then, he's been a pretty consistent player.
"A big, strong, right-handed defenseman. I think once he started moving his legs consistently, he's turned into a really good player for us. And not just of late, he's been a pretty good player for us for quite a while."
Though Ristolainen's 11 points in 43 games this campaign don't jump off the page, he's on pace for 21 points. That total would be his highest in four seasons as a Flyer and most since he recorded 33 points with the Buffalo Sabres in 2019-20.
The 30-year-old's ice time has also jumped to 20:31 per game after averaging 16:41 in 2023-24 and 19:01 in 2022-23.
Ristolainen's underlying numbers have been subpar in the City of Brotherly Love, but the Flyers have posted a negative goal differential in each of the past five seasons. Philadelphia dictated 56.2% of the expected goals with Ristolainen off the bench at five-on-five last season and is recording 50.2% this campaign, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Last December, Ristolainen said he wished Tortorella had been his coach when he entered the league as an 18-year-old. When reminded of the moment Monday, the hard-nosed bench boss joked, "Ooh, be careful what you wish for."
"The thing I like about Risto is there's a little bit of stubbornness to him, but I also think he cares," Tortorella said. "I think he has taken some of the coaching and tried to get better.
"Sometimes when you have a veteran guy and some new things are brought in, or maybe you pushed along the way, the stubbornness takes over, and you don't want to listen to it. I think he's done a good job of that."
Ristolainen is under contract through the 2026-27 season, and his $5.1-million cap hit is the second-highest on the Flyers' blue line. Reports emerged in late November indicating he was garnering interest from other NHL clubs.
"All the things I read, his contract's an albatross, I think we have him on a pretty good contract right now, the way it's gone in this league as far as contracts with defensemen," Tortorella said. "He's been good for us. I worry about, with him out of our lineup, it'd be a big hole for us."
Ristolainen will represent Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.
