Ekblad & Ristolainen

[Hasekperreault23]

That’s a low bar

Playing beast mode right now stop hating

 

[eviohh26]

NHL is hard. Takes some time to figure it all out. Some do some dont.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Now they are both bashed all the time in these boards.

What went wrong with these guys?

Wrong question.

The right question is: why do you think HF matters? Most posters on the mainboards are 100% clueless.

 

[Maukkis]

He's played his entire career on a team that struggled mightily to score at even strength, not his fault. I remember a few short months ago when everyone was telling Sabres fans ROR was a "PP specialist" because his ES production was poor in Buffalo. Now look at his ES production in St. Louis.

Risto's #1 problem historically has been that he's been asked to play a role that maybe 5 D in the league are capable of being successful in, and he's been asked to do it on a poor team with partners who, at their very best, might be considered NHL #4 defensemen. It's not a coincidence that Risto's looked better as Dahlin's earned more minutes and the team around him has improved. He's not an all-situations #1, but he's a good hockey player.

Ristolainen has been a large part of a bad team, which suggests that he has been both a victim and part of the problem. He is nowhere near a #1 defenseman, but if the Sabres get their D sorted in a way which allows them to play Ristolainen in a more ideal role for him, his results could go up considerably.