Philadelphia Flyers’ Tyson Foerster and Rasmus Ristolainen out with minor injuries

The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that Tyson Foerster has suffered a minor lower-body injury. Additionally, the Flyers have announced that defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is out with a minor upper-body injury. The Flyers are set to play the Arizona Coyotes on Monday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night, and the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. The hope is that Foerster and Ristolainen will be able to return for the game against the Devils on Saturday.

Foerster is having a solid season for the Flyers with 10 goals and 21 points in 52 games and a +3 rating. He’s eligible for the Calder Trophy as he only played eight games last season but it’s unlikely he’ll win it given the unusually strong competition from the likes of Connor Bedard, Brock Faber, Luke Hughes, and others.

Foerster has excelled at every level he’s played at so far in his career. He was selected in the first-round of the 2020 NHL Draft after a strong season with the Barrie Colts in which he put up 36 goals and 80 points in 62 games. He made the unusual jump from junior straight t the AHL as a teenager, putting up a very respectable 17 point in 24 games as an AHL rookie.

However, the winger dealt with injury problems that year and the following season and thus was only able to play 22 total games in 2021-22. He played nine for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL and went back to play 13 games for the Colts in the OHL. He followed that up with a remarkable season in Lehigh in 2022-23, with 48 points in 66 games and seven points in eight NHL games.

Foerster is one of the most valuable pieces in the Flyers’ organisation and will be a quality player for them for the next decade or more.

Ristolainen has been having a strong season and has really made positive strides with the defensive side of his game. However, he’s dealt with injuries this season and has missed over 20 games due to that. He’s also a potential trade target for this year’s trade deadline and could be on the move before the season is over.