Player Discussion Rasmus Ristolainen

[Dirty Dog]

Circling back to this, he has been very good lately.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

Liking Risto's game of late.

 

[1972]

Basically what we all knew and said all along, once he doesn’t have to be “the guy” on a bad team he will be good again. The best thing to ever happen to his career is going to be Rasmus Dahlin.

 

[haulinbass]

Crazy to think a defenseman looks a lot better with a team around him playing a lot better.... Never understood why people felt so low on him. Ya maybe he isn't an elite #1 D but people started acting like hes hardly a top 4 D.

Buffalo is in good shape with Dahlin and Risto being their #1 and #2.

 

[GrierIsGod123]

Once Phil finally started using him right, his game quickly turned around. I regret saying I wanted him traded, as he's proving to be a solid 2nd pair guy. I think Pilut could be the guy to pair with him long term.

 

[dortt]

Play the Dahlin pairing about 27 minutes a game, and the Risto pairing about 23 minutes a game. Maximize both pairs

 

[1972]

He’s exactly a number 2.

 

[Snippit]

He started out really, really bad - can’t just ignore those games.

But I agree he’s looked good for at least a couple of weeks now. Yesterday he was a beast.

 

[sabrebuild]

Basically what we all knew and said all along, once he doesn’t have to be “the guy” on a bad team he will be good again. The best thing to ever happen to his career is going to be Rasmus Dahlin.

Gonna get him a huge third contract

 

[Oan]

Can Risto ever be a legit top pairing d-man?

 

[Yatzhee]

Can Risto ever be a legit top pairing d-man?

Based on what 25+ minutes a game did to him as opposed to 21/22 minutes a game I'd say he is one of the best #3's in the league.
Risto's enhanced play of late is most certainly partly due to a decrease in TOI.

But I also don't want Dahlin crushing 26+ minutes a game either, burning him out.

Balanced 1/2 pairing and 3/4 pairing in TOI should significantly enhance Buffalo's overall defense I would surmise.

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

Risto is a high end #2, low end #1. There are very few dmen capable of ever playing the ice time Risto does. There are not many d physically able to play the ice time Rasmus does. There are not more then 30-35 D that you can name that are better then Risto.

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

I don’t think he’s out of his element on a top pair. He’s out of his league playing 26-27 minutes a night.

Almost no one he’s compared to/aspires towards is asked to do that.

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

The only Risto Player Discussion thread I can find was locked at 999 posts back in 2016 and a new one has not been made.

Was wondering what everyone's thoughts were on Risto. During earlier parts of the season some people were as harsh as to wanting to simply GIVE Risto away. He may not be the true franchise #1 D we thought he could be but he is absolutely a top 30-35 dman. He is a #1 on a bad team or a high end #2 on a cup contender.

Oh and I thought this little tidbit should put some of the incredible feats Risto has done in perspective.

Since 2015, there are 4 dmen in the entire league who in every season since 2015-2016 has averaged 25:00+ TOI/G & scored 40+ points in each of those seasons.

Those 4 dmen are Erik Karlsson. Drew Doughty. Ryan Suter. And Rasmus Ristolainen. Say what you will but Risto is a very good dman and can absolutely be a RD1 on a cup winner.

In a year or two I envision a Rasmus x2 pairing that will put up 120 points combined whilst each playing 25+ mins a game. (Risto around 25, Dahlin at 27-28 a game).

Being able to roll out the Rasmi for 53-54 minutes out of the possible 120 per game for a D corps makes building a team much easier. If we have 2 stud dmen taking up almost half the game it allows the flexibility of not having to overpay our #3-6 dmen and instead using a revolving door of young D on ELCs and bargain vets.

After a rough start Risto has completely improved his game and is on pace for 50 points. I made a thread several years back pointing out how virtually all cup winners had 1 if not multiple 40+ point dmen and with the two Rasmi in the fold we now have that pre requisite covered in spades.

Risto is one of the best D in Sabre history and he is only 24. He is a 6 year vet with 377 games under his belt and is 11th in Sabres history for d scoring and will be 9th after this season passing Smehlik and Soupy.

I think Risto has unfairly been the whipping boy on the Sabres because he has been here all throughout the tank and since he was the one constant on a revolving door of garbage on the blue line he got bashed non stop. In all actuality, Risto is at an age where most dmen are just entering their 2nd or 3rd NHL seasons, not their 6th.

All in all, Risto to me is a damn good dman who can do it all. He can skate extremely well, he can shoot, he can pass, he is strong and a bull on skates. He is physical. He takes no crap from anyone and has snarl to his game. He can regularly play in the mid to upper 20s every game and if the situation called for it due to injury, ejection etc he can skate over 30+ mins in a night. He is the perfect #2 dman and as soon as he is eligible he should be given an 8 year extension so he can finish his career here.

I truly think in 2 more years once Dahlin is fully developed that Risto will find that extra level in his game and become a perennial 50 point, 25 minute a night all around top pairing dman. As Dahlin improves so will the overall blue line including Risto.

Got to give credit where it is due. Jame wanted Risto at #8 all during the 12-13 season and Darcy correctly picked him at #8. Risto is a great building block for a cup contender and we are lucky to have him.

 

[Waterfowlist]

He’s exactly a number 2.

On a team with an elite #1.

The amount of flack this guy gets is unreal. Can’t wait to see him in the playoffs. His mean streak will make him very hard to play against.

 

[Royal Thunder]

He's quite underrated around the league due to being the poster boy for analyzing a player without context. To this day it's very hard to find another player who had a similar path upon entering the NHL, being forced to play huge minutes out of sheer necessity on horrid teams with horrid partners, instead of slowly learning the NHL game like most of his peers. Not many D can play that physical and eat big minutes while putting up 40+ points every year. He's a rare player.

 

[jc17]

On a team with an elite #1.

The amount of flack this guy gets is unreal. Can’t wait to see him in the playoffs. His mean streak will make him very hard to play against.

His mean streak is currently hard to play against.

He also has occasional defensive lapses.

Neither of these will change in the playoffs

 

[enthusiast]

imo he's still making dumb unforced errors, but they're admittedly less frequent. He's also making some outstanding offensive plays.

 

[Waterfowlist]

His mean streak is currently hard to play against.

He also has occasional defensive lapses.

Neither of these will change in the playoffs

Yeah, certain players don’t elevate their game or anything in the playoffs .

One or both could certainly change in a playoff scenario. It is a whole different game.

 

[Samsonite23]

Maybe it's the Houlsey influence (it has to at least be partly that), maybe it just the team being significantly better this year, but either way this guy has become a better (and smarter) offensive player this year. He drives the net way more often. It's great to see.

 

[Ralonzo]

I was surprised to hear stats about RR CF% vs WSH and BOS showing him completely caved in, in the teens? The eye test didn’t say that to me and pucks didn’t fill the net... wonder what the high danger ratio is.

 

[Fezzy126]

I was surprised to hear stats about RR CF% vs WSH and BOS showing him completely caved in, in the teens? The eye test didn’t say that to me and pucks didn’t fill the net... wonder what the high danger ratio is.

Ristos' greatest games from a shot share perspective occurred when Phil adjusted his role (when he was with Pilut). In those games, Risto was given a higher percentage of offensive zone starts and often wasn't matched up against the other team's best offensive line. Dahlin/Bogo were given the highest percentage of defensive zone starts and played the most minutes against the toughest competition...

Now that he's paired up with Scandella, Phil has gone back to a heavier, more difficult role for Risto again and scaled back Dahlin's role. Risto & Scandella really don't mesh very well together in this role; I think Risto depends heavily on his partner for successful zone exits (which Scandella doesn't exactly excel at), and he also seems to have better chemistry with McCabe.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[Man of Principles]

I have to say, the emergence of Dahlin along with some other factors has allowed Ristolainen to play to his strengths this year. We watched the last handful of years as he was forced into playing a shutdown role, which caused the wheels to fall off at the end of each year. He's jumping in a lot more plays and truly showing his puck skills. I'm okay with the occasional boneheaded defensive plays...they're going to occur from time to time when you have offensive minded defensemen. I believe Ristolainen can help Dahlin decide when to pick his spots and when to hang back. Together they are a major factor in Buffalo's turnaround this year. Some are so quick to offer Ristolainen in proposals. There have been major highs and lows, so I sort of understand. The next couple years for Risto are going to be all about consistency.

 

[Chainshot]

It's funny to hear him talk about the goal against the Sharks - it's like he has a chance to do to someone else what has happened to him. And the dig on Scandella's passing is a hoot.