Confirmed with Link: Juuso Riikola re-signed (1yr/850k)

[cheesedanish87]

I didn't think Rikola was very good last year, but i can't complain about signing a 7/8 def for 850K.

 

[Gurglesons]

I didn't think Rikola was very good last year, but i can't complain about signing a 7/8 def for 850K.

You didn’t think a 24 year old in his first pro season who was a fine # 5/6 wasn’t very good?

 

[cheesedanish87]

You didn’t think a 24 year old in his first pro season who was a fine # 5/6 wasn’t very good?

No.

I don't think he was a fine 5/6 def.

 

[cygnus47]

He has tools but didn't really put it together in a useful way last year. Hopefully he has adjusted to the pace and can be a good bottom pairing guy.

 

[Clare2904]

Only just seen this, I'm happy.

 

[Malkinstheman]

Gotta give him credit, wasnt too bad considering his first exposure to the NA game was the NHL. First time playing with smaller ice and a different style and he did well.

 

[Gurglesons]

No.

I don't think he was a fine 5/6 def.

I think if we hadn’t have signed JJ, he would’ve been pretty solid. Stayed in the line up and been given time to iron out some of those concerns.

I 100% agree his evaluation on here was overblown, but I do think he was better than Ruh and JJ so overall one of our best 7 D this year.

 

[JTG]

I think once the blueline gets thinned out Riikola will get his shot. I really like his game. He needed a season to get adjusted over here. He is a perfect bottom pair guy.

 

[WayneSid9987]

Sorta went over this before but the 2 D he played with the most was #1 - Maatta and #2 - JJ.
In terms of being a 24 yr old rookie. Not exactly the easiest introduction into this league.
I do remember some good Olli-Riiko games where he was using his skating to cover for Olli nicely.
Ship JJ(and maybe Olli too) outta here and giving him a do over is fine by me.

 

[LOGiK]

1 way. So he's with the big boys or waivers where some team will steal him. He'll never clear waivers.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I hope we get a better LD for the 2nd pairing and we can run Petts-Riikola as the bottom pairing.

JJ, Maatta and Gudbranson out. That's way too much cap tied up in unspectacular or flat out bad players.

 

[Riptide]

Meh to me him getting a 1 way deal is basically the team saying he will be a mainstay in the top 6.

Him getting a 1 yr deal was the price of him staying in NA vs going back to Europe. If the team gave him a 2way, then if he's in the AHL, he'd be earning something very similar to what he could earn at home. 1 way contracts basically just go to whomever has the leverage to get one. And for 2nd contracts, they're a lot more frequent then you think, even if the player isn't a lock to be in the NHL.

 

[Riptide]

I think if we hadn’t have signed JJ, he would’ve been pretty solid. Stayed in the line up and been given time to iron out some of those concerns.

I 100% agree his evaluation on here was overblown, but I do think he was better than Ruh and JJ so overall one of our best 7 D this year.

In Ruh's first stint, yes. However when he got a 2nd chance, he was very very good... better than anything we'd seen out of Riikola since the pre season.

I hope we get a better LD for the 2nd pairing and we can run Petts-Riikola as the bottom pairing.

JJ, Maatta and Gudbranson out. That's way too much cap tied up in unspectacular or flat out bad players.

If people are healthy we will never run Riikola as the RD on P3. It'll be Gudbranson or Ruhwedel long before Riikola gets a shot at that. And no Gudbranson isn't likely to get traded anytime soon. This is even more unrealistic then your dream about Skinner, Duchene or Panarin.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I didn't think Rikola was very good last year, but i can't complain about signing a 7/8 def for 850K.

Tough to really play out of a funk or gain any actual experience in the North American game when he wasn't sent down when he should have been or played when he should have been.

Yet morons like Maatta and Johnson got loads of games while being the crack of a hairy ass during the dead of summer.

#accountability

 

[JBose7]

People keep forgetting playing in Europe is very different. When the rink is bigger you can skate while you make decisions. In North America you have to move the puck via the pass more often. It simply takes in-game experience and a commitment to letting him play thru the kinks.

 

[JackFr]

He was very bad for us last year but I like his skill set. Can't complain about this signing, especially if it means we're going to see some movement up the depth chart.

He absolutely should have played in WBS all of last season but you can't change the past.

 

[NMK11]

People keep forgetting playing in Europe is very different. When the rink is bigger you can skate while you make decisions. In North America you have to move the puck via the pass more often. It simply takes in-game experience and a commitment to letting him play thru the kinks.

It does seem rare for an older European player to come over and fit in right away. He seemed like a classic case of passing the eye test to be an NHL defenseman but not having the best advanced stats (if I remember right). Plus he's not exactly old for a defenseman, I'd expect him to be better this year than last.

Overall I like this signing. Let's see if he can build off essentially a rookie season in the NHL and be a cheap bottom pairing guy. But just as important: this and Ruh both being one way contracts means that AT LEAST one of JJ/Maatta/Gud are gone.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Tough to really play out of a funk or gain any actual experience in the North American game when he wasn't sent down when he should have been or played when he should have been.

Yet morons like Maatta and Johnson got loads of games while being the crack of a hairy ass during the dead of summer.

#accountability

I suspect he stayed up because their was probably an agreement due to money (can’t remember his waiver eligibility last season). His paycheque in the minors was 70k versus 925k. Also maybe they thought he was better off training with the NHL-squad/coaches and playing half the games instead of going back to the AHL. Maatta was still better than him. So I wouldn’t have played him over him. Probably a lot of pressure to play JJ in the first year when your GM signs the guy to a 5 year deal.

 

[Shady Machine]

He was very bad for us last year but I like his skill set. Can't complain about this signing, especially if it means we're going to see some movement up the depth chart.

He absolutely should have played in WBS all of last season but you can't change the past.

Very bad?

That's quite an exaggeration.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Riikola looked great in preseason against lesser, less intense talent. Hopefully he takes the next step.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Certainly makes things even more interesting than they already were. Technically, he is currently ninth on the depth chart. A No. 9 D with a one-way contract means we should expect fireworks on D this off-season.

Hypothetically speaking, if we are setting up a situation where Riikola/Ruhwedel are the No. 6 and 7 D-men, what would have to happen? What would our top 4 need to look like to feel comfortable?

Dumoulin-Letang
Pettersson-Subban/Trouba
Riikola-Gudbranson
Ruhwedel

This is the only thing that makes sense to me right now. Drop 3 D-men and bring in one legit upgrade for the top 4. But how will we be able to trade Maatta, Johnson and Schultz and bring in a Subban or Trouba?

We have few prospects to trade, we can't really afford to trade the good ones we already have, we absolutely should not trade our first rounder this year and we don't have any other picks until Round 4. We already dealt our 2020 second, too. We also have issues up front to deal with.

This is going to be a challenge.

 

[Shady Machine]

I don't think that's happening Jag. Personally, I'm fine with this to start the year:

Dumo-Letang
Pettersson-Schultz
Riikola-Gudbranson
Ruh

Shed some cap and give Pettersson and Riikola some time to see what they have in those roles. You can upgrade at the deadline if need be or sooner in the season. Obviously if you can move Schultz or bring in an upgrade over Pettersson for that spot, I am game but also trying to be realistic. The goal should be to shed some cap and put the pieces in place to grow the defense at the right opportunity.

 

[canadianguy77]

He wasn't "bad" for us last year. He made Olli Maatta look serviceable for a large chunk of the season when Olli was downright atrocious. If he was a Mike Sullivan "veteran," he would've played the whole season.

 

[JackFr]

Very bad?

That's quite an exaggeration.

Very poor analytics and in my opinion eye test, I think his skating made him look a lot better than he actually was. His decisionmaking with the puck needs a lot of work. Did not play like an NHL defenceman, but I think there's room for growth as he gets used to the pace and the ice size.

 

[JRS91]

Riikola is fine, I think he's exactly the kind of defenseman this team needs.

I think the Penguins are really high on Pettersson and if Maatta and Johnson are moved, will lean on him as a top four defenseman with Schultz barring a trade or signing involving another defenseman. Personally, I'd prefer Pettersson get more time on the third pairing with Gudbranson, but I don't think a Riikola - Gudbranson pairing is the end of the world.