Flyers defensemen Cam York and Rasmus Ristolainen inching closer to returning from injury
York, has been out since Dec. 3 with an upper-body injury, remains day to day, while Rick Tocchet thinks Ristolainen could make his season debut before Christmas.
The Flyers may be getting a few presents for the holidays.
Defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen and Cam York, who have been practicing in regular jerseys, are inching closer and closer to returning.
York has been out with an upper-body injury since Dec. 3 against the Buffalo Sabres. The exact moment when he suffered the injury is unknown, but he did not return after being involved in a scrum following Trevor Zegras being boarded by Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin with 3 minutes, 10 seconds left in the second period.
It’s also possible that the high hit by Buffalo forward Jason Zucker behind the Flyers’ net with 13:50 left in the period is the hit that coach Rick Tocchet referred to postgame. The hit was a little late as the blueliner skated back for the puck.
“He’s going to have a really hard practice today,” Tocchet said about York at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Thursday. “Not hitting, but like a lot of pushing and shoving on the ice, and see how he reacts off it. I think this is the day we’ll know how close he is to playing.”
Ristolainen’s return is coming, but it may still be a little way away. On Oct. 27, Flyers general manager Danny Brière said that “in about a four-to-six-week range, hopefully he’s back with the team.”
Technically, he was with the team at around the six-week mark, but only for practice. Now the question is, when will he be game-ready?
Ristolainen underwent surgery on a right triceps tendon rupture on March 26. In 2024, Ristolainen underwent two surgeries, including a repair to a ruptured triceps tendon. Brière said last April that the injury was similar, although he wouldn’t confirm whether he tore the tendon again.
The Flyers are being cautious and are taking their time to ensure he is 100%. Tocchet didn’t want to marry the blueliner’s return to a specific date, hinting that he needs to see Ristolaien stack heavy days together. When pressed, he said, “I think I’d be shocked if he didn’t play before Christmas, to be honest. But I never say never.”
York is not on injured reserve, so the Flyers do not have to make a move when he is ready to return to the lineup. When Ristolainen is good to go, they will have to make a transaction.
Currently, only four players are waiver-exempt — forwards Matvei Michkov and Nikita Grebenkin and defensemen Emil Andrae and Tyler Murchison — and it’s obvious here who is not getting sent down. Murchison looked impressive and steady in his NHL debut on Tuesday and will get a second game on the blue line on Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights (7 p.m., ESPN).
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Forward Carl Grundström is also someone who can be sent down without needing to clear waivers. He cleared waivers when the Flyers acquired him, and he has not hit the 30-day mark or 10 games played in the NHL.
The NHL also has a 10-day roster freeze beginning at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 19 and running through 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 28. Players cannot be waived, traded, or loaned during that period.
The Flyers play Dec. 20 against the New York Rangers, Dec. 22 against Tocchet’s old team, the Vancouver Canucks, and Dec. 23 at the Chicago Blackhawks before the NHL’s three-day holiday break. They return to game action at the Seattle Kraken on Dec. 28.