Tortorella calls out Ristolainen with scathing comments

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman got the fresh start he wanted in Philly but... well, it's safe to say that he may want yet another fresh start after the way things have gone since being acquired by the Flyers from the Buffalo Sabres.

The 28 year old blueliner put up just 16 points in 66 games with the Flyers last season after several 40+ point campaigns in Buffalo and this season... well, things aren't going much better. After sitting in the press box with an injury to begin the 2022-23 campaign, Ristolainen has put up zero goals and zero assists in four games and has NOT looked good in the process

Objectively, Ristolainen has been awful for a few seasons now making the five year, $25.5 million contract that the Flyers gave him earlier this year look even worse. And if you think things couldn't get any worse, well you haven't seen nothing yet because Flyers head coach John Tortorella just kicked Ristolainen to the dog house.

"He just hasn't met (my expectations)," Tortorella said about Ristolainen on Monday. "I think he just needs to play better. … I don't think he's played well enough. He's going to get another crack at it, but everything about his game, I think, needs to be better."

Ristolainen was healthy scratched for Saturday's victory over the Ottawa Senators and given Torts' comments it doesn't look like he'll be re-inserted into the lineup anytime soon. That's certainly not an ideal situation for your second highest paid blue liner.

Of course, Ristolainen is coming off an injury but Tortorella maintains that he has not been hampered by the injury and simply hasn't been good enough. Honestly, I think this has the potential to go absolutely sideways for the 28 year old Finnish defender. If he can't re-establish his game or at least get himself back into the lineup and produce like a top four defenseman then I see the potential for a blow up between coach and player. And frankly, I don't think that's the worst thing in the world. The fact of the matter is that Ristolainen has skated by on his skill for most of his career and he has a growing reputation as a soft player. Now's the time for him to show what he's really made of.