News: Ristolainen playoffs or im out

[themelkman]

Why not just say I want to leave?

 

[Muffinalt]

Look at what Risto did when paired with McCabe the first half of the year -- they were a legit shutdown pair. The eye test matched with the advanced stats -- Risto and McCabe dominated on the ice. Then Risto got f***ed with COVID and McCabe broke his knee every which way.

Risto is a good-to-very-good player when played in the right role with the right partner.

What is that role? 2nd pairing shutdown guy with dzone minutes, with a partner who's defensively stronger than him?

Legit asking, because I don't watch him too much.

 

[Nucklehead Supreme]

Still remember when Barzal took Rasmus for a walk one on one. What an embarrassment Ristolainen is.

Instead of being part of the solution... another lazy and low IQ prospect.

The Sabres are better off without Eichel and Ristolainen. Build the team around go getters and players with leadership.

Yah totally they should get players that don't care whether they ever have a chance of winning a cup, just playing hockey for a shitshow (no offence Sabres fans) of an organization is enough right?......

So easy for you to judge and condemn isn't it? Leaders want to win, not live in mediocrity bud.

 

[Canuck Luck]

The Sabres are better off without Eichel and Ristolainen. Build the team around go getters and players with leadership.

Like Ryan o’... wait a second... they tried that. Maybe it’s not the players but it’s the team?

 

[tsujimoto74]

What is that role? 2nd pairing shutdown guy with dzone minutes, with a partner who's defensively stronger than him?

Legit asking, because I don't watch him too much.

Their role was unambiguously the Sabres 1st pairing. So however difficult you wanna make his minutes, as long as they're with a solid defensive partner and, IMO more importantly, in a system that doesn't rely on defenseman skating the puck through the neutral zone or routinely completing long stretch passes to move the puck up the ice. I think Krueger's system was awful for pretty much everyone on the Sabres roster except Ristolainen, who greatly benefited from finally being asked to play to his strengths. The man can absolutely be a positive contributor to a team when you let him be physical---particularly when you let him aggressively defend zone entries at the blue line (accepting that once in a while he'll miss his man, and it'll mean numbers coming in for the other team)---and don't ask him to play above his skill level in transition.

 

[Hockeyholic]

Like Ryan o’... wait a second... they tried that. Maybe it’s not the players but it’s the owners?

FTFY

 

[Zman5778]

What is that role? 2nd pairing shutdown guy with dzone minutes, with a partner who's defensively stronger than him?

Legit asking, because I don't watch him too much.

The role is simple -- don't ask him to do too much in transition. Either have him skate the puck out himself or pass it as a short pass off to someone else. He is NOT accurate with long, stretch passes. Let him be as physical as he wants, knowing that on occasion he'll take himself out of position.

He raises his game against elite competition (he has an ongoing thing with Ovechkin). He's a good trigger man on the PP and can play in front of the net on the PP effectively. Limit his SH minutes.

Ideally, he'll be between 20-22 minutes a game with hopefully 2-4 of that coming on the PP and maybe 1-2 on the PK.

 

[Canuck Luck]

FTFY

Clearly it’s management too if they wouldn’t let eichel have a surgery he felt would be beneficial to his health and career

Canucks are right there too. Need proper management but probably won’t happen without a proper owner

 

[js31]

Welcome to the Kraken!

 

[hmc1987]

Still remember when Barzal took Rasmus for a walk one on one. What an embarrassment Ristolainen is.

Instead of being part of the solution... another lazy and low IQ prospect.

The Sabres are better off without Eichel and Ristolainen. Build the team around go getters and players with leadership.

Yikes. The Sabres leadership has disenfranchised Eichel and you trust that same ownership to build around itself?

Have you ever heard of quicksand ?

 

[Cogburn]

From Vancouver:

The Aquilini family

From Buffalo:

Terry Pegula

A fresh start for both owners, the real victims of how these teams are operating.

Fire all coaching and management staff.

Profit.

 

[TheScandal89]

He's the all time minus leader I believe at -163 I'd like to see how much lower he could go on Buffalo

 

[Meichel Kane]

From Vancouver:

The Aquilini family

From Buffalo:

Terry Pegula

A fresh start for both owners, the real victims of how these teams are operating.

Fire all coaching and management staff.

Profit.

Deal

*opens box*

Wait a minute there's a Jim Benning in here

"Hahaha, suckers"

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Said it before will say it again Risto and Muzzin would be a hell of a pair

 

[Hockeyholic]

Clearly it’s management too if they wouldn’t let eichel have a surgery he felt would be beneficial to his health and career

Canucks are right there too. Need proper management but probably won’t happen without a proper owner

Murray
Botterill
Adams

Three inexperienced GM's in a row. Most incompetent too.

Who hired them?

The owners are horrible and should sell the team.

 

[Cogburn]

Deal

*opens box*

Wait a minute there's a Jim Benning in here

"Hahaha, suckers"

Too late, you've already taken the box! Enjoy "good drafting"!

Jokes, firing everyone would be the pre-requisite.

 

[Pizza!Pizza!]

God what a disaster whats going on in Buffalo

I know, its great entertainment though and unlike actual hockey it has the potential to last all summer.

 

[SI90]

Such a passionate sports city too. So weird. The Bills and Sabers have so much fan support. Sabers need to get their shit together.

 

[StreetHawk]

He is a pending UFA in '22 so he can go wherever he wants if they don't make the playoffs next season.

He is eligible to sign an extension this off-season. Both Risto and Reinhart are set to become ufa in 2022. Reinhart can go to arbitration to secure a 1 year deal to get there.

Basically, he's letting the Sabres know that he won't extend with them. Whether they opt to trade him this off-season or closer to the TDL is up to them.

 

[Panthaz89]

I feel like Risto is actually a good player just misused. On a good team he is a 3/4 kinda guy, the problem is for most of his tenure with the Sabres he's been asked to be their 1/2 which is not his role. If he were on a second pairing with a defensive player (think Chiarot, Edmunson, Muzzin, etc) he would be a really valuable piece.


Please note I'm not saying Eddy or Chiarot is as good as Muzzin just noting the stylistic similarities in their games. Muzzin is more of a 2/3, Eddy is a solid 4, and Chiarot more of a 4/5.

idk he's pretty inconsistent would help if the Sabres would stop using him to kill penalties when he's not good enough on defense to do so. Its not a good look when Samuelsson comes up and looks like a more respectable defender(obviously Risto is more useful on offense) than you do. People saying he should PK and I see one of the guys who is almost always responsible for the puck ending up in the net trying to kill the PP because he makes a stupid mistake.

 

[deca guard]

what a clown . if im an nhler my outlook on this topic is '' i couldnt care less if we win or lose , i know im trying my hardest and making dream money playing in the nhl . im completely content . if ownership cant put it together is not my business as i cant ask for anything more than getting paid millions and living an nhl dream career ''

 

[Bruce Granville]

He is eligible to sign an extension this off-season. Both Risto and Reinhart are set to become ufa in 2022. Reinhart can go to arbitration to secure a 1 year deal to get there.

Basically, he's letting the Sabres know that he won't extend with them. Whether they opt to trade him this off-season or closer to the TDL is up to them.

If Reinhart goes to arbitration, the Sabres choose between 1 or 2 years…and it would be 2.

 

[itwasaforwardpass]

G T F O

 

[itwasaforwardpass]

He absolutely has to be traded if Buffalo understands asset management.

Every year they didn't trade him and his value tanks further and further is a failure in asset management.

 

[smokes lets go]

Why not just say I want to leave?

I think he's insuating that he will walk as a free agent next year, there is no need to force himself out like eichel.