Value of: Rasmus Ristolainen to Winnipeg

[The Winter Soldier]

Automatically I think Ehlers to play with Eichel and Reinhart here. But sounds too simple. Ehlers is signed to a modest 6m per. Plus if I am the Jets I need an add on.

 

[Hunter368]

The only reason to trade for Risto instead of better solutions is if you get Risto cheap. If you have to pay top return to get him, you go else where to get a better player for the same price. Risto is a #4D, with warts on many teams........he also isn’t the tire fire some think or that some of the analytics show over his career.

 

[lomiller1]

You sure you're talking about Ristolainen? Rasmus Ristolainen? Risto is 11th in the NHL hits this season. Cumulatively over the last 3, he's 8th.

If I were going to compare any current Sabres D to Myers on play style, it's Montour ainec.

Edit: Actually, if I were to compare Risto to another player, I'd say he's a Byfuglien lite. Better offensively than defensively, and plays a heavy power game.

Hits are not a good measure of effective physical play. Myers gets a reasonable number of hits as well, the problem is that he gives to too much in front of their own net and doesn’t make good use of his size along the boards to control the puck and get in out of the D-zone with possession. Risto suffers similar deficiencies. His entire NHL career thus far has been characterized him spending too much time in his own zone and his inability to keep shots to the outside when he is in his own zone trying to defend.

 

[tsujimoto74]

Hits are not a good measure of effective physical play. Myers gets a reasonable number of hits as well, the problem is that he gives to too much in front of their own net and doesn’t make good use of his size along the boards to control the puck and get in out of the D-zone with possession. Risto suffers similar deficiencies. His entire NHL career thus far has been characterized him spending too much time in his own zone and his inability to keep shots to the outside when he is in his own zone trying to defend.

Risto is incredibly effective at cleaning house in front of the net. His biggest deficiency is that he's not particularly good at transitioning from defense to offense. He's absolutely nothing like Myers. Your evaluation just doesn't describe his play.

 

[jrs]

roslovic for risto 1 for 1 is the most I would do

 

[Chainshot]

Automatically I think Ehlers to play with Eichel and Reinhart here. But sounds too simple. Ehlers is signed to a modest 6m per. Plus if I am the Jets I need an add on.

When the thought process slides into "he could play with Eichel", it might be time to re-assess.

Buffalo probably should look at Copp or Roslovic as more important to depth and not putting Skinner/Olofsson/Vesey/Sheary on Eichel's wing.

 

[tapi]

1 for 1 with Laine would be be interesting.

 

[lomiller1]

Risto is incredibly effective at cleaning house in front of the net. His biggest deficiency is that he's not particularly good at transitioning from defense to offense. He's absolutely nothing like Myers. Your evaluation just doesn't describe his play.

The number of high danger shots the Sabers give up increase when he’s on the ice. This is a pattern that has repeated itself year after year. It's not just his transition game that is weak, his defensive game is as well. This is exactly like Myers.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

When the thought process slides into "he could play with Eichel", it might be time to re-assess.

Buffalo probably should look at Copp or Roslovic as more important to depth and not putting Skinner/Olofsson/Vesey/Sheary on Eichel's wing.

Yep, I thought Botterill was a hire similar to the McDermott and Beane hirings. But right now, I am unsure. What he did with Pittsburg should not be ignored. But I do think it is time to clean house. A change of culture is needed in Buffalo, I can't see trading one player at this point is going to make any significant difference.

 

[Cellee]

No to anything beyond a mid round or lower pick.

No

 

[Chainshot]

Yep, I thought Botterill was a hire similar to the McDermott and Beane hirings. But right now, I am unsure. What he did with Pittsburg should not be ignored. But I do think it is time to clean house. A change of culture is needed in Buffalo, I can't see trading one player at this point is going to make any significant difference.

Botterill's list of failures is long and winding. His successes are accepting Bowman's inquiry about Jokiharju and being GM for one of two team's Jeff Skinner would accept a trade to. I'm fully prepared to ignore everything he did in Pittsburgh because of what he has done in Buffalo for three years now is a pile of steaming horseshit.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Botterill's list of failures is long and winding. His successes are accepting Bowman's inquiry about Jokiharju and being GM for one of two team's Jeff Skinner would accept a trade to. I'm fully prepared to ignore everything he did in Pittsburgh because of what he has done in Buffalo for three years now is a pile of steaming horse****.

The Pegula's, are they ready to pull the trigger? I think the scouting department needs an overhaul. I was looking at the return to quality of picks for Buffalo for Murray and Boeterill. It's bad. This has just compounded problems. The Skinner misread speaks for itself. He is a good player at 5M or 6M per. But not at 9M. Lots to fix.

 

[Chainshot]

The Pegula's, are they ready to pull the trigger? I think the scouting department needs an overhaul. I was looking at the return to quality of picks for Buffalo for Murray and Boeterill. It's bad. This has just compounded problems. The Skinner misread speaks for itself. He is a good player at 5M or 6M per. But not at 9M. Lots to fix.

The scouting dept and direction of their player personnel side was overhauled when Botts came in and it needs to be retooled yet again. Greeley as AGM is their player personnel guy and I can count on one hand the number of "good" players they have brought in at the NHL level with him in that role.

As for the Pegulas, they are busy on yachts and counting their Super Bowl owners' revenue right now. If they notice, it'll probably be to attempt to suppress public outcry about their horrible team and lackadaisical arena amenities or game day experience...again.

As for the original premise of this thread, I expect the Jets will ask and given his track record, I expect Botterill to send them something for pennies on the dollar. He's a rube. He is the mark in the room. And he still hasn't figured that out yet.

 

[RationalExpectations]

Have read a lot of threads about Ristolainen for the past two years, always comes down to the same thing. BUF fans consider him a top D and hence require a 1st+ as a return while other teams see him as a D-man who cannot defend (too many debates about that don't even want to enter another one), so no possible deal to be found in my opinion

 

[The Winter Soldier]

The scouting dept and direction of their player personnel side was overhauled when Botts came in and it needs to be retooled yet again. Greeley as AGM is their player personnel guy and I can count on one hand the number of "good" players they have brought in at the NHL level with him in that role.

As for the Pegulas, they are busy on yachts and counting their Super Bowl owners' revenue right now. If they notice, it'll probably be to attempt to suppress public outcry about their horrible team and lackadaisical arena amenities or game day experience...again.

As for the original premise of this thread, I expect the Jets will ask and given his track record, I expect Botterill to send them something for pennies on the dollar. He's a rube. He is the mark in the room. And he still hasn't figured that out yet.

I'm not a huge fan of Risto. He is useful on the 2nd pairing. Probably would do well there. But is not equipped to handle first pairing assignments. If Jets want him, that would be okay with me. Maybe he gets to play with Morrissey and that stablizes him. Right now the Sabres would do well with a culture change. With or without Botterill. I would agree with you he has not done anything at this point to warrant keeping his job. This coming from a poster that thought he was a progressive hiring. Murray>Botterill>? There is nowhere to go but up.

 

[JetsWillFly4Ever]

You sure you're talking about Ristolainen? Rasmus Ristolainen? Risto is 11th in the NHL hits this season. Cumulatively over the last 3, he's 8th.

If I were going to compare any current Sabres D to Myers on play style, it's Montour ainec.

Edit: Actually, if I were to compare Risto to another player, I'd say he's a Byfuglien lite. Better offensively than defensively, and plays a heavy power game.

Risto is Byfuglien lite in the same way Middlestadt is Patty Kane lite, He's not.

 

[tsujimoto74]

Risto is Byfuglien lite in the same way Middlestadt is Patty Kane lite, He's not.

Pretty sure the gap between a top pairing defenseman and a middle pairing one is smaller than the gap between a future HOFer and a guy who isn't even an NHL player.

 

[Fatass]

Have read a lot of threads about Ristolainen for the past two years, always comes down to the same thing. BUF fans consider him a top D and hence require a 1st+ as a return while other teams see him as a D-man who cannot defend (too many debates about that don't even want to enter another one), so no possible deal to be found in my opinion

And we are probably mirroring what the Sabres expect in return fir Risto, and how other teams feel it’s way too much.
I think the Sabres should package Risto and Reinhart in hopes of returning a really good second line centre, who can put up 50 points, play a solid 200 foot game, PK, and win faceoffs.

 

[Chainshot]

I'm not a huge fan of Risto. He is useful on the 2nd pairing. Probably would do well there. But is not equipped to handle first pairing assignments. If Jets want him, that would be okay with me. Maybe he gets to play with Morrissey and that stablizes him. Right now the Sabres would do well with a culture change. With or without Botterill. I would agree with you he has not done anything at this point to warrant keeping his job. This coming from a poster that thought he was a progressive hiring. Murray>Botterill>? There is nowhere to go but up.

I think Risto offers negative things that only a strong d-zone partner who is excellent at initiating transition can offset. His PP work over the years has been quality and he is a vigorous initiating physical player to a point. I think they took a player with a lot of merits and pushed him into survival mode too soon and helped mold him into the incomplete player he is today.

As for a hiring, I have "liked" two GM's in the history of the team and not one since the mid'90's. It can always be worse. I'm not sure how it could be worse, but there is always something the Pegulas could do wrong. On the hockey side of the operations, they seem to have taken bad advice repeatedly from their senior advisors with ties to the Penguins to the recommendations from the league. The issue for them right now is the public backlash to their attempted suppression of negative commentary about the team is blowing up in their faces. Much like Botterill, every move they make seems like the wrong one. They are not good public speakers and established an adversarial relationship with the local press right from the beginning that has not been bridged -- nor has their POV that the media should be rooting for the team/positive about the team has shown any evolution. They made personality hires on impulse (LaFontaine) and aren't local enough to have any sort of pulse on the fans and team because they are too busy being moneyed elites in So. Florida than in being in the nittygritty of Buffalo arenas.

They need a team president who is responsible for the Sabres, full stop. Let everything go through that person (marketing, arena presentation, personnel, outreach) and stop trying to run both the Bills and Sabres as intertwined organizations.

 

[howkie]

Im not ready to pay what Buffalo wants, that is one of our top-6 wingers, so easy answear is, no

 

[Chainshot]

And we are probably mirroring what the Sabres expect in return fir Risto, and how other teams feel it’s way too much.
I think the Sabres should package Risto and Reinhart in hopes of returning a really good second line centre, who can put up 50 points, play a solid 200 foot game, PK, and win faceoffs.

I think your premise that they would need to deal both Reinhart and Ristolainen to get a player who doesn't outproduce Reinhart is daft.

 

[JetsWillFly4Ever]

Pretty sure the gap between a top pairing defenseman and a middle pairing one is smaller than the gap between a future HOFer and a guy who isn't even an NHL player.

It was slight hyperbole but Ristolainen is not even remotely close to Dustin Byfuglien.

Buff could drag an AHL calibre defensemen to solid 5v5 results, Risto can't get there no matter who he plays with.

Buff is severely underrated by most people to this day. Great PP performer, can play with absolutely anyone against absolutely anyone and tilt the ice. God damn I miss the guy lol.

 

[DarthProbert]

If the Jets can find a replacement C from within, Little + would help the Sabres in the short term. But as much as I think Risto would fit in Winnipeg, I don't see a fit between the 2 teams.

 

[Fatass]

I think your premise that they would need to deal both Reinhart and Ristolainen to get a player who doesn't outproduce Reinhart is daft.

Sam is not a centre, and defensively not a 200 foot player. A high end second line centre (who contributes offensively while playing excellent over the entire ice) holds a lot of value. Getting that player, even at the cost of Sam and Risto, would definitely make them better.
And please keep you insults to yourself. My ideas carry equal value to yours, and all of us here.

 

[lomiller1]

If the Jets can find a replacement C from within, Little + would help the Sabres in the short term. But as much as I think Risto would fit in Winnipeg, I don't see a fit between the 2 teams.

Little’s play has dropped off. Maybe in the right situation he can be something like he was 5 years ago, but he’s probably best viewed as a cap dump right now, for someone to trade for him we’d need to either give up assets or take back a bad contract. I’m not high on Risto, but he still has some value