Flyers Place Rasmus Ristolainen on IR, Recall Hunter McDonald

A retroactive designation clears a roster spot with the defenseman listed day-to-day.

Overview

Ristolainen was moved to injured reserve retroactive to Jan. 12 and will miss the start of a three-game road trip.
Philadelphia recalled Hunter McDonald from AHL Lehigh Valley for his first in-season call-up, with Noah Juulsen holding his lineup spot.
Head coach Rick Tocchet indicated the absence is not expected to be long term after the team labeled the injury day-to-day.
The 31-year-old missed the season’s first 31 games after March 2025 triceps surgery, then logged 13 games with three assists and a minus-three while posting a 45% expected-goals share and roughly 30% even-strength goals share (MoneyPuck).
Ristolainen has missed 127 games over five Flyers seasons and carries two more years at about $5.1 million annually, fueling local speculation about trade or buyout options ahead of the March 6 deadline and the pre-Olympic market push.