Tortorella on how Ristolainen ‘regained some of his confidence'

VOORHEES, N.J. — Rasmus Ristolainen played for six head coaches over eight playoff-less seasons in Buffalo.

He was 18 years old when he made his NHL debut for the Sabres and took on big minutes at an early age.

Then, in Year 1 with the Flyers, Ristolainen saw head coach Alain Vigneault get fired 22 games into the season. The Flyers played the rest of the 2021-22 campaign under interim head coach Mike Yeo.

So the Finnish defenseman heard from eight head coaches over his first nine NHL seasons.

With John Tortorella, his ninth head coach, Ristolainen has appreciated the honest feedback, the persistent work that has turned into notable improvement for a 29-year-old in his 11th NHL season.

After his best game of the season Saturday, Ristolainen said he wished he had Tortorella as a coach when he was "18 and coming into the league."

Are you sure, Risto?

"Oh, s---," Tortorella joked Monday, "be careful what you wish for."

Ristolainen was speaking genuinely. He has listened to Tortorella and worked closely with assistant coach Brad Shaw to refine his defensive game.

Suffice it to say, Tortorella was not impressed at his first glimpse of Ristolainen last season. But the Flyers wanted to work with him and Ristolainen had no problem with being coached.

"You watch Risto at the beginning of my first year, he was awful," Tortorella said. "That's when I thought Brad was really good with him in tape, just talking about his legs, just the little things to get his game going. I think Risto has regained some of his confidence."

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Ristolainen has often been a whipping boy for some Flyers fans. Perhaps it was the cost and timing of his arrival, as well as his numbers in Buffalo. The Flyers paid a big price to acquire him in July 2021. Their trade package to the Sabres included a first- and second-round pick. Ristolainen signed a five-year, $25.5 million contract extension in March 2022 as the Flyers took a staggering step backward that season.

"I know people want to run him out of town here, but be careful, be careful with defensemen especially," Tortorella said. "You just never know when it clicks in."

In the Flyers' 1-0 win Saturday over the Red Wings, Ristolainen played on the top defensive pair with Travis Sanheim out because of an illness. He aced the opportunity, finishing as a plus-1 with three hits and two blocked shots in 23:07 minutes. It was his 10th game of the season after he missed the first 20 because of a lower-body injury.

"Risto played a hell of a game the other night when we bumped him up, we've got to find him more ice time," Tortorella said. "He'll get his ice time. It all ends up getting worked out as you go through a long year."

Since mid-December of last season, Ristolainen has put up 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) and a plus-3 rating in his last 61 games, while committing only 10 penalties. Tortorella has always appreciated the 6-foot-4, 208-pound Ristolainen's bruising style. But he wanted him to be a smarter, more positioned defender — not just make a big hit to make a big hit.

What has Ristolainen worked on with Tortorella and Shaw?

"Killing plays, playing better in the D-zone, have tighter gaps," Ristolainen said Saturday. "Just be more involved and skate."

Tortorella commended Shaw, who works with the Flyers' defensemen.

"That's why I wanted Brad here," he said. "He's the one who was hands on with him every day. He just teaches the details, he talks about certain things that players don't even think about sometimes. He has done a terrific job with those guys."

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