With the amount of "future Norris winers" being pimped around here, the NHL better start giving 5 Norris trophies per year.
While this is true, I do think Ristolainen will be a top 5 dman in the league in a few years.
With the amount of "future Norris winers" being pimped around here, the NHL better start giving 5 Norris trophies per year.
While this is true, I do think Ristolainen will be a top 5 dman in the league in a few years.
So which one of Doughty, Pietrangelo, Karlsson, Hedman, Subban, Ekblad, OEL, Hamilton, Faulk, Letang, Josi is Risto going to be better than in a few years? Not to mention highly rated dman going to be drafted that become excellent dmen in a few years.
If Risto even becomes a top 15 dman in the league then everyone should be happy.
I don't think there's a real bias.
All Sabres fans seem to be very excited about Ristolainen, and I know I have him in my top 5 for the 2013 draft as well.
Fans of other teams don't think he's that good because he has poor stats playing on an awful team. It has nothing to do with him being a finnish player.
It doesn't work like that. You could have asked the same question about Faulk and Josi and more recently Ekblad. Players rise and players fall off.
It may be premature to say he'll be q top 5 dman, but he has the complete package as a 20 y/o dman, and currently is plaplaying at a high level in the nhl. I've always had a tough time projecting his offensive upside since he has played against men since he was like 16. I'd suggest somewhere along the lines of 15 goals and 50 points. However it wouldnt surprise me if he focus more on the defensive side of the game while, and becomes a Seabrook like shutdown d man. I also could see him playing blasting 20 goals a year. Anyways I wonder how far he has risin in other peoples eyes, relative to other young dmen like trouba, murray, jones, hamilton and such. For my money...
Ekblad
Jones
Risto
Trouba
Hamilton
Lindholm
Reilly
Murray
Nurse
Pouliot
Brodin
Larson
Dumba
Reinhart
Koek
Fleury
Just top 10's.. thats a lit of young d talent..
My point was it doesn't take a miracle. That's pretty much the opposite of what I said.But the fact is is that unless a miracle happens he won't be better than half those players. Never mind the younger players that will surpass him. Those dmen I listed are still relatively young and not a lot of young top dmen just fall off especially when half them are just starting to come into their own on a much higher level than Risto.
Don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of his but he won't be a top 5 dman in the league. Too many people think their team's young dmen are going to be the best and win Norris Trophys.
Don't forget Määttä. Calling any young defender who's still far away from reaching his full potential a Norris winner is risky business.
I still don't know how he got a $4m deal from the Sabres. Injuries ruined him.
But the fact is is that unless a miracle happens he won't be better than half those players. Never mind the younger players that will surpass him. Those dmen I listed are still relatively young and not a lot of young top dmen just fall off especially when half them are just starting to come into their own on a much higher level than Risto.
Don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of his but he won't be a top 5 dman in the league. Too many people think their team's young dmen are going to be the best and win Norris Trophys.
The funny part here is that he didn't really lived like a pro until he came to NHL. This is not to say that he is a lazy guy. He has just been that talented, that he has been able to dominate without really working his ass off. Now he is starting to understand the importance of right nutrition and the amount of work you need to do to get to the top, and we are seeing the results. I expect him to make big strides next off-season as he made last off-season as well.
Or at least start giving a separate award for the best defensive defenceman.With the amount of "future Norris winers" being pimped around here, the NHL better start giving 5 Norris trophies per year.
But the fact is is that unless a miracle happens he won't be better than half those players. Never mind the younger players that will surpass him. Those dmen I listed are still relatively young and not a lot of young top dmen just fall off especially when half them are just starting to come into their own on a much higher level than Risto.
Don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of his but he won't be a top 5 dman in the league. Too many people think their team's young dmen are going to be the best and win Norris Trophys.
But the fact is is that unless a miracle happens he won't be better than half those players. Never mind the younger players that will surpass him. Those dmen I listed are still relatively young and not a lot of young top dmen just fall off especially when half them are just starting to come into their own on a much higher level than Risto.
Don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of his but he won't be a top 5 dman in the league. Too many people think their team's young dmen are going to be the best and win Norris Trophys.
He could be the Finnish Shea Weber in a few years.
I don't think there's a real bias.
I'd say there is. He has similar stats to what Rielly has had in the past two years. Now compare the hype they get in the NA mainstream hockey media. I'm not saying that Rielly doesn't merit the hype, but it's a bit unfortunate that no-one seems to be buzzing about Ristolainen.
I'd say there is. He has similar stats to what Rielly has had in the past two years. Now compare the hype they get in the NA mainstream hockey media. I'm not saying that Rielly doesn't merit the hype, but it's a bit unfortunate that no-one seems to be buzzing about Ristolainen.
Maybe there was a typo and he meant Norris?here's hoping.
Ristolainen is another guy who'll be a bit of an embarrassment for Craig Button. He said his ceiling was Derek Morris lol
I'd say there is. He has similar stats to what Rielly has had in the past two years. Now compare the hype they get in the NA mainstream hockey media. I'm not saying that Rielly doesn't merit the hype, but it's a bit unfortunate that no-one seems to be buzzing about Ristolainen.
Exactly!The amount of hype and media coverage each player is exposed to is determined by the team the player in question plays for and, more importantly, the size of its fanbase (among many other things of course), but not the nationality of the player. Rielly would be as much hyped if he was Finnish, Swedish or Russian, as evident with many European players having played in Toronto over the years.
Sure there will always be Don Cherrys in the mix but in the grand scheme of things the hockey world is impartial to players with different nationalities.