3 weakest links Philadelphia Flyers should promptly get rid of ft. Rasmus Ristolainen

The Philadelphia Flyers enter the 2025 offseason looking to turn a corner after a disastrous 2024-25 campaign. The organization hoped to turn things around and potentially compete for a playoff spot.

The disappointing season led to a change behind the bench and the addition of a talented forward in Trevor Zegras. But as the Flyers look to get back into playoff contention in the Eastern Conference, three links stand out as ones the club will need to get rid of.

So, let’s take a look at the three weakest links the Philadelphia Flyers must move on from in 2025-26.

3 weakest links Philadelphia Flyers should promptly get rid of

#3 Garnet Hathaway

The Flyers could better allocate Hathaway's cap hit elsewhere - Source: Imagn

The Philadelphia Flyers have a young, up-and-coming core that’s gotten more talented with Zegras’ addition. That core features a legit top-line winger in Travis Konecny, while Owen Tippett and Noah Cates look like solid top-six forwards.

The bottom six, however, has some players who might be better off taking a backseat to younger, more promising players. One such player is Garnet Hathaway. The 33-year-old is a tough, bruising winger with limited offensive upside.

While Hathaway is a good leader and formidable force, his $2.4 million cap hit for one-dimensional play could be too much for the Flyers to afford as they look to get back into the playoff hunt.

#2 Samuel Ersson

Ersson struggled to claim the Flyers starting job outright - Source: Imagn

The Philadelphia Flyers rolled Samuel Ersson out into the de facto starting role last season. While he played well at times, the 25-year-old Swede wasn’t quite what the Flyers needed. The Flyers need a bona fide starting goaltender to carry the load for most of the season.

The Flyers signed Dan Vladar this offseason, plus having Ivan Fedotov and Alexei Kolosov as other netminders in the organization. So, that situation makes Ersson expendable. Unless the Flyers wanted to roll with Ersson and Vladar as a tandem next season, Ersson could be the odd man out.

#1 Rasmus Ristolainen

Ristolainen's trade rumors could become a needless distraction once again - Source: Imagn

Make no mistake. Rasmus Ristolainen is a great player. He’s big and can play a shutdown role effectively. The issue with Ristaolainen is the distraction he’s caused within the team. The Flyers have long been rumored to have Ristolainen on the block.

However, a trade has not materialized for the former first-round pick. The Flyers would do well to end the saga once and for all this summer, as keeping Ristolainen might only fuel a needless distraction.