Flyers give Rasmus Ristolainen 5-year contract extension

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers have signed defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen to a five-year contract extension. Flyers president of hockey operations Chuck Fletcher says the deal is worth $5.1 million a year. It comes 11 days before the NHL trade deadline. The 27-year-old Ristolainen is in his first season with the Flyers and has two goals with 11 assists in 49 games while logging averaging just over 21 minutes of ice time. He leads the team with 177 hits, which ranks third among NHL defensemen, and also has 90 blocked shots. He was acquired last July in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres.