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Philadelphia Flyers News

Coach Ted Nolan says Sabres will give defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen the go-ahead to play for Finland in the World Juniors.

Ristolainen suffered a concussion after being sucker-punched in the AHL, but he will likely play for Finland in the World Juniors. The 8th overall in the 2013 NHL Draft recorded one goal in 19 games with the Sabres. He has recorded two goals and two assists in five games since being sent to Rochester (AHL).

Rasmus Ristolainen
The Sabres reassigned Rasmus Ristolainen to Rochester (AHL).

Ristolainen was the eighth overall pick in this year's NHL Draft, but will head to Rochester for seasoning. The Sabres don't appear to be a playoff team so allowing their young talent to develop in Rochester is a logical move for the Sabres future. Ristolainen is known more for his defence than his offence, he had one goal in 19 games.

Rasmus Ristolainen
The Red WIngs have reassigned Luke Glendening to Grand Rapids.

Glendening play 9:46 and 10:06 in two contests during his most recent call-up. He did not record a point and was a minus-1. This move likely suggests Tomas Tatar will play after it appeared he was set to be a healthy scratch tonight. It also means that Johan Franzen shifts to centre on the second line and Darren Helm drops down to his regular spot centring the third line.

Luke Glendening
The Red WIngs have recalled Luke Glendening from Grand Rapids (AHL).

Glendening has no points and a minus-2 rating in six games with the Red Wings this season. He has split time between the NHL and AHL, he has three goals and three assists in eight games with Grand Rapids. The Wings are dealing with injuries down the middle right now, Glendening could see his most playing time of the season tomorrow in Tampa Bay.

Luke Glendening
The Red Wings have recalled Luke Glendening from Grand Rapids (AHL).

Glendening has not recorded a point in five games with the Red Wings this season. In the AHL he has scored once and added two assists in five games. With Johan Franzen dealing with an injury, Glendening has been recalled to provide forward depth on their western Canada road-trip.

Luke Glendening
Not surprisingly Rasmus Ristolainen has made the Sabres 23-man roster. He had been a top-six defender since day one of camp and head coach Ron Rolston said he was the team's best defenseman Friday night.

The eighth overall pick in this year's draft is a great offensive-defenseman prospect. He had three goals and 12 assists (15 points) in 52 games playing with men in the SM-liiga.

Rasmus Ristolainen
It was only the first practice of the season, but the Flyers liked what they saw from new linemates Vincent Lecavalier and Wayne Simmonds.

Simmonds, who was one of Philly’s bright spots in an otherwise disappointing 2013 campaign, projects to open on the second line as Lecavalier’s winger, along with Brayden Schenn. It’s a nice fit for Lecavalier, a noted table-setter. Simmonds, who has scored at a 0.34 goals-per-game clip in each of the last two seasons, should be pushing for his first 30-goal campaign with Lecavalier in the middle.

Wayne Simmonds
The Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension with forward Sean Couturier worth $3.5 million, an average annual value of $1.75 million. The contract will take effect in 2014-15, after the expiration of Couturier's entry-level contract.

The 20-year-old had four goals and 15 points in 46 games last season, his second with the Flyers, while averaging 15:53 of ice time. He appeared in 31 games with the Flyers' American Hockey League affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms, prior to the start of the Flyers' season in January. He scored 10 goals and had 28 points with the Phantoms.

Sean Couturier