"I Want To Be A Piece Of Shit Out There" - New Philadelphia Flyer Rasmus Ristolainen, Speaking Fluent Philly
Bill Wippert. Getty Images.
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Did the Philadelphia Flyers give up a ton in return for Rasmus Ristolainen? Yes they did. I wouldn't say it was necessarily Chuck Fletcher massively overpaying for the prick defenseman as much as it was the market value overpricing him. There were reportedly like 7 other teams who had offered a similar package for Ristolainen. But that doesn't change the fact that Philly fans are going to have big expectations for Ristolainen since the team gave up their 1st round pick in last week's draft to get him.
Want to know the quickest, easiest way to endear yourself to Philly fans? It's pretty simple.
Announce your intentions to play the game like a total piece of shit and then go out there and back those words up. Be a goon out there. Don't be afraid to get extra greasy in the corners. Be a guy who other teams absolutely despise to play against. The kind of guys that other fanbases constantly bitch and complain about. I'm not saying he needs to be a scumbag. But a piece of shit? Absolutely.
There's a difference there. A scumbag will go out there and just try to injure guys left and right because he clearly doesn't give a shit about their well being. A piece of shit will make sure he finishes every check and makes sure that other teams are constantly aware when he's out there on the ice. You play the game with that kind of edge, you toe the line of legality without crossing it more often than not, and that's how you become a fan favorite in Philly. Flyers fans won't even remember the 2021 Draft by the time January rolls around if that's the way Risto plays here.