Speculation: All-encompassing Ristolainen Thread

[Der Jaeger]

Rasmus Ristolainen tyytymätön tilanteeseen Buffalo Sabresissa – haluaa siirtyä muualle: "Viime kaudet ovat olleet raskaita"
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Can one of our posters from Finland translate for us? Thanks!

MOD NOTE: This thread is for everything related to the situation between the Sabres and Ristolainen. That includes rumours, speculation, proposals, evaluations, and other comments.

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[JustaFinnishGuy]

Can one of our posters from Finland translate for us? Thanks!

The main takeaway from the article is that he says that the situation is open and that he's going to be on some NHL teams camp come September 12. Currently on mobile so can't be arsed to translate more.

 

[Dahlin 2 Eichel]

Can one of our posters from Finland translate for us? Thanks!

He’s not happy and would like to play with a different club

Rasmus Ristolainen is not happy with his position in the Buffalo Sabers and wants to look into playing in another NHL club. Ristolainen comments on MTV Sports for his future.
Rasmus Ristolainen still has three more years remaining with his contract with the Buffalo Sabers. The keys are with the club, but Ristolainen has discussed options with the club leadership.

MTV Sports previously reported that Ristolainen will be changing clubs for next season.
- The situation is open. I can not say anything other than the fact that I am on the 12th of September, one of the NHL team's training camp, Ristolainen commented.
- However, we wanted to keep the discussions between me and the club.
Ristolo has had a lot of responsibility from year to year on the back lines of the Sabers, but the team hasn't been in the playoffs for six years. Ristolainen is not at all happy with the situation.
- I haven't been able to help the team win. Recent seasons have been tough and I haven't been able to enjoy hockey.
Although the future is uncertain, Ristolainen has enjoyed the summer in Finland.
- I like to do a lot of different exercises in the summer, but the main focus has been on improving speed.

 

[Der Jaeger]

The main takeaway from the article is that he says that the situation is open and that he's going to be on some NHL teams camp come September 12. Currently on mobile so can't be arsed to translate more.

He’s not happy and would like to play with a different club

Rasmus Ristolainen is not happy with his position in the Buffalo Sabres and wants to look into playing in another NHL club. Ristolainen comments on MTV Sports for his future.
Rasmus Ristolainen still has three more years remaining with his contract with the Buffalo Sabres. The keys are with the club, but Ristolainen has discussed options with the club leadership.

MTV Sports previously reported that Ristolainen will be changing clubs for next season.
- The situation is open. I can not say anything other than the fact that I am on the 12th of September, one of the NHL team's training camp, Ristolainen commented.
- However, we wanted to keep the discussions between me and the club.
Ristolo has had a lot of responsibility from year to year on the back lines of the Sabres, but the team hasn't been in the playoffs for six years. Ristolainen is not at all happy with the situation.
- I haven't been able to help the team win. Recent seasons have been tough and I haven't been able to enjoy hockey.
Although the future is uncertain, Ristolainen has enjoyed the summer in Finland.
- I like to do a lot of different exercises in the summer, but the main focus has been on improving speed.

thank you

 

[JustaFinnishGuy]

thank you

Remember to only view this article from the point of Rasmus, namely his actual comments;
- The situation is open. I can not say anything other than the fact that on the 12th of September, I am on one of the NHL team's training camp, Ristolainen commented.
- However, we wanted to keep the discussions between me and the club.
- I haven't been able to help the team win. Recent seasons have been tough and I haven't been able to enjoy hockey.
- I like to do a lot of different exercises in the summer, but the main focus has been on improving speed.

The other bits are a bit too sensationally put imo and give a picture that he's 100% going to leave, although MTV already made news about that case earlier. That's also posted by me in an earlier spot in this thread if you want to see what that was about.

 

[itwasaforwardpass]

The other bits are a bit too sensationally put imo and give a picture that he's 100% going to leave, although MTV already made news about that case earlier. That's also posted by me in an earlier spot in this thread if you want to see what that was about.

Aren't those other bits direct quotes from Ristolainen? Not rephrasing by a reporter to sensationalize it. Hard to tell if it is not direct quotes.

Thank you.

 

[traffic cone]

The other bits are a bit too sensationally put imo and give a picture that he's 100% going to leave, although MTV already made news about that case earlier. That's also posted by me in an earlier spot in this thread if you want to see what that was about.

Yeah, definitely.

MTV dug itself a hole earlier ”breaking” that Ristolainen would move for sure. And they said it was ”according to their sources” - which was complete bullshit IMO.

They had no knowledge nor inside sources. How could they’ve had? They just used the same rumours that had been going on for a while already. They took a cheap shortcut to get clicks and attention.

It’s the same with that article. The headline says that Ristolainen wants to move, but there’s not a single actual quote of him saying anything like that. Cheap.

Now they’re praying he actually does move. Or else it’ll look very bad for them.

 

[JustaFinnishGuy]

Yeah, definitely.

MTV dug itself a hole earlier ”breaking” that Ristolainen would move for sure. And they said it was ”according to their sources” - which was complete bull**** IMO.

They had no knowledge nor inside sources. How could they’ve had? They just used the same rumours that had been going on for a while already.

They took a cheap shortcut to get clicks and attention.

Now they’re praying he actually does move. Or else it’ll look very bad for them.

Would be a weird thing to try to get clicks of. He isn't a big name player in Finland outside his NHL status, and farming clicks out of him makes no sense because of that. Watching the interview itself, there is some credibility to the claim that he will change clubs but it's not confirmed one way or the other at all.

 

[WeDislikeEich]

That Ristolainen interview confirms the rumor that the Risto trade talk was/is player driven and that the Sabres didn’t necessarily want to move him.

Hopefully it also means that they only trade Risto if the offer is right (like was also reported). That seems to be the case so far.

Jason Botterill’s job is to put the Buffalo Sabres best interests first (in every decision), not a single player.
So I expect him to do his job! lol

As I said all along, even if Risto requested a trade he’s not the type that would hold out or cause drama with the team (he’s a high character player IMO). I felt that he confirmed in that interview, that if buffalo doesn’t trade him he will still show up 1st day of camp and give it his all.

He just wants to win. After what he’s been through in his 6yrs in buffalo I can’t blame him.

 

[Ranksu]

Watching that interview, you can read between lines that most likely Ristolainen will be traded to team who is potential playoff team.

He's really tired of losing and wants out of Buffalo. Wonder what will be that 'playoff' team who needs top2 RHD.

 

[Selanne00008]

Watching that interview, you can read between lines that most likely Ristolainen will be traded to team who is potential playoff team.

He's really tired of losing and wants out of Buffalo. Wonder what will be that 'playoff' team who needs top2 RHD.

I don’t think there’s any hesitation from Buffalo to ship him to wherever makes sense from Buffalos’ future perspective. If it’s a buyer like the Jets then that for him. But if LA wants to offer more, Buffalo will ship him there.

 

[varano]

Are you sure he did just put up an impressive 30ish points and failed in the playoffs again.

He did or the Sabres did? Cause the Sabres have never done that before...ever...

He's not a guy that's going to give you 60 points. He's going to get power play time, hit everything in sight and be a well rounded defencemen. Buffalo killed his development by playing him 30 minutes a night for a long time. If he goes somewhere where he's playing within a competent top four, then he's going to kill it. Ehlers was terrible last season. Definition of a streaky winger. Looked downright lost at times and can't score on a breakaway if his life depended on it

 

[varano]

Literally all forwards are "streaky" except for the uber elite ones.

Also, your logic is terrible. Ehlers has more value because he is a significantly better player than Ristolainen. So what you're saying, is any RD is more valuable than any "streaky" winger right? Can we trade Tyler Myers for Sam Reinhart then?

Risto isn't good. That's why he has low value.

No he's the definition of it..

Multiple stretches where he goes 8-10 games with only two points. Go look at the game logs if you don't believe me.

 

[Ranksu]

Im not comparing Ristolainen to ROR, but look how good O'Reilly became in better team in just one season? Locker room cancer to Selke and Conn Smythe winner.

Both have same excuses. They want to compete, play playoffs, win. Both tired of Buffalo and losing. New start.

 

[aufheben]

I don't know any planet where streaky wingers are valued more than right defencemen

Defensemen can be streaky too. I mean pretty much all players are streaky when you get right down to it. Although it’s possible Ehlers is literally night/day and I’m just unaware of the extent because I’m too lazy to look it up at the moment.

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

Literally all forwards are "streaky" except for the uber elite ones.

Also, your logic is terrible. Ehlers has more value because he is a significantly better player than Ristolainen. So what you're saying, is any RD is more valuable than any "streaky" winger right? Can we trade Tyler Myers for Sam Reinhart then?

Risto isn't good. That's why he has low value.

I think saying Risto isn't good at all and has low value is selling him short.. He's not playing 24 minutes a night because he sucks.

Does he play more than he should? Absolutely. Is he a great defenseman? No.

But there's no doubt he's at least a 2nd pairing guy and any 2nd pairing guy is good. Drop his minutes down to 20-range and let him play behind a high caliber dman who takes the spotlight, on a good team with a positive culture and the tone around here would be a lot different. His physical attributes are fantastic, and his hockey IQ isn't as terrible as people make it out to be - just inconsistent due to second guessing all the time. And while some of his aggressiveness leads to mistakes, being physical is still something to respect and he can still learn to time it better.

His biggest issue is the mental game right now which has been severely scarred by all the years of losing. There's nothing worse than being thrown to the wolves, role you're not ready for, and then having to deal with all the finger pointing when the team is bad. When has Risto ever had proper guidance from great defensemen? Throughout his years in Buffalo, they have literally not had a better veteran dman who he can look up to and say man this guy is good. Guy like Dahlin is so talented he can do it on his own, but Risto is exactly the type of guy who benefits from learning from others.

I think many teams have recognized his potential but the Sabres are asking for too much, not that he has low value. When you have a 24 year old dman who is making under 6M and plays the most minutes for you, you're not giving him up for anything else but solid return.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

I think saying Risto isn't good at all and has low value is selling him short.. He's not playing 24 minutes a night because he sucks.

Does he play more than he should? Absolutely. Is he a great defenseman? No.

But there's no doubt he's at least a 2nd pairing guy and any 2nd pairing guy is good. Drop his minutes down to 20-range and let him play behind a high caliber dman who takes the spotlight, on a good team with a positive culture and the tone around here would be a lot different. His physical attributes are fantastic, and his hockey IQ isn't as terrible as people make it out to be - just inconsistent due to second guessing all the time. And while some of his aggressiveness leads to mistakes, being physical is still something to respect and he can still learn to time it better.

His biggest issue is the mental game right now which has been severely scarred by all the years of losing. There's nothing worse than being thrown to the wolves, role you're not ready for, and then having to deal with all the finger pointing when the team is bad. When has Risto ever had proper guidance from great defensemen? Throughout his years in Buffalo, they have literally not had a better veteran dman who he can look up to and say man this guy is good. Guy like Dahlin is so talented he can do it on his own, but Risto is exactly the type of guy who benefits from learning from others.

I think many teams have recognized his potential but the Sabres are asking for too much, not that he has low value. When you have a 24 year old dman who is making under 6M and plays the most minutes for you, you're not giving him up for anything else but solid return.

Risto has shown nothing to indicate he's a good NHL Dman besides on the PP. Getting dominated playing 25 minutes a night doesn't indicate he's definitely a second pair guy.

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

Risto has shown nothing to indicate he's a good NHL Dman besides on the PP. Getting dominated playing 25 minutes a night doesn't indicate he's definitely a second pair guy.

So you have a player who is showing absolutely nothing and getting dominated, yet the coaches plays him 25 minutes season after season.

Man, the Sabres have had some clowns behind the bench then.

Come on dude. You make it sound like he's a #6 defenseman.

I could see a #4 at worst, but there's no way he's worse than that. But it's a big difference playing #1 role than #4 role.

 

[Der Jaeger]

I'd still like a trade from LA for Adrian Kempe, or Winnipeg for Roslovic. Each would fill the void at 3C for the Sabres.

 

[Cuphead]

Watching that interview, you can read between lines that most likely Ristolainen will be traded to team who is potential playoff team.

He's really tired of losing and wants out of Buffalo. Wonder what will be that 'playoff' team who needs top2 RHD.

reading between the lines, it's most likely that ristolainen places a lot of the blame on himself.

he's really tired of losing and wants to be better for his team.

 

[WeDislikeEich]

Planet earth. A malcontent Phil Kessel with a NMC just brought back Galchenyuk. Subban and Trouba -each with no trade protection- returned two seconds and effectively Neal Pionk and 26 games of Kevin Hayes.

Those were all completely dfferent situations.

The situations between Kessel and Pittsburgh became untenable and he needed to go. He also had a NTC that limited the teams Pittsburgh could trade him to and used it to nix at least 1 trade (to minn.) that we know of.
He wanted to go to Arizona and did what he could to make that happen.


Nashville was trying to find a team to dump Subban’s entire $9M cap hit with no retention and no real cap coming back. They were also under time constraints to clear space in order to sign Duchene.

Both Kessel and Subban’s are also not every team’s cup of tea, personality wise.

Trouba was a RFA with 1 year of team control left, he wasn’t willing to sign long term in Winnipeg and reportedly was only willing to sign long term with 1 team and the NYR used that to their full advantage.



Ristolainen’s situation is completely different. He didn’t demand a trade. He said he’d prefer a fresh start because it’s been tough not making the playoffs but also already said that he will be at Sabres camp day 1 if he’s not traded.
He said buffalo has made some good additions this summer that he’s excited about and thinks will help him if he’s there.

Buffalo isn’t desperate to trade him by any means and are reportedly only willing if they get the right offer. I actually think they might prefer to add to Risto and get s better return, but that’s just a guess.

Risto is only 24. He fits the Sabres rebuild timeline and is signed to a reasonable contract for 3 more years. He’s never been an issue on or off the ice. He works his butt off and is a good example for the kids. He’s not going to create problems if buffalo doesn’t trade him. That’s not his personality. He’s also currently still Buffalo’s best right shot defenseman.

From everything I’ve read and heard, the Sabres will only trade Risto if it makes sense for them (which most likely means a good young top 6 C or W coming back). That was not the case with those other players you listed.

I don’t know what Ristolainen is worth, but I am pretty confident that he won’t be dumped for something like a late 1st/2nd + b prospect.

 

[JustaFinnishGuy]

I know it's wishful thinking but I think Poile should take the bait on Risto. Our top 4 would be pretty solid once again although Fabbro is still an unturned card.

 

[Potty John]

Calgary is looked to lose some salary to sign Tkatchuk and Mangiapane.

Calgary would trade Brodie, Frolik & 2nd or 3rd

Buffalo would trade Ristolainen and Tage Thomson

Buffalo gets a similar D who plays more sound defence and great 2nd/third liner who can penalty kill plus a pick for the amount of salary.

Calgary gets a right shot D who can be sheltered by Gio and get offensive opportunity, Calgary also picks up a decent young player who could play on the 4th line.

 

[CraigsList]

Sure? I think Buffalo could find a team that would overpay for Risto.

Risto would have been traded already if Buffalo settled on a trade like this.

 

[Ledge And Dairy]

this only works until Bogosian comes off LTIR