Flyers place Rasmus Ristolainen on Injured Reserve

Cam Lewis
Cam Lewis
Flyers place Rasmus Ristolainen on Injured Reserve
Credit: © Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Flyers have placed defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen on Injured Reserve, the team announced on Monday.

In a corresponding move, the Flyers have also recalled defenseman Louie Belpedio and forward Zack MacEwen from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League.

Ristolainen appeared in two pre-season games but has been out for both of Philadelphia’s regular season games so far this year with an undisclosed injury.

The Flyers acquired Ristolainen in July of 2021 from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for defenseman Robert Hagg and a first- and a second-round draft pick. Ristolainen scored 16 points and logged 21:26 per night over 66 games for the Flyers in 2021-22.

Ristolainen was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career following the 2021-22 season but he inked a five-year, $25.5 million contract extension to remain with the Flyers back in March.

Joining the Flyers from the AHL are Zack MacEwen and Louie Belpedio.

MacEwen played 75 games with the Flyers last season and scored nine points and racked up 110 penalty minutes. He has one goal and three points through two games with the Phantoms in the AHL this season. MacEwen has played 130 NHL games between the Flyers and Vancouver Canucks.

Belpedio was signed to a two-way deal by the Flyers in free agency following a strong showing with the Laval Rocket, the AHL team of the Montreal Canadiens, in 2021-22. Selected in the third round of the 2014 NHL Draft by the Minnesota Wild, Belpedio has four games of NHL experience in his career.

The Flyers are currently 2-0-0 following wins over the New Jersey Devils and Canucks to start their season. They’re scheduled to play a back-to-back on the road against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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