Canadiens Explored Ristolainen as Defensive Option

The Montreal Canadiens reportedly explored acquiring Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. Ristolainen, a big right-shot defenseman, has faced questions regarding his fit due to injury history and limited physicality, with only 21 hits in 21 games. He has not played a full season since 2015-16 and has had multiple triceps surgeries. His $5.1M cap hit for another season makes an acquisition puzzling.