Would it be right for the Buffalo Sabres to trade Rasmus Ristolainen?
The Buffalo Sabres need to make a series of franchise-changing moves this offseason, but I don’t think trading Rasmus Ristolainen is one of them.
For what seems like the 5th-straight year of trade rumors involving Rasmus Ristolainen, the Buffalo Sabres are, yet again, faced with a difficult decision regarding the direction this franchise wants to take with this defenseman moving forward.
Whether you want to admit or not, Rasmus Ristolainen finally started to see some positive progress last season under new head coach Ralph Krueger. He not only proved to be more comfortable in Krueger’s system, but played smarter and sturdier than we’ve seen in recent years.
His +/- improved from -41 to just -2 last season (though that statistic doesn’t mean what it used to) and he proved to be just as effective on offense, despite failing to record 40 points for the first time since the 2014-15 season. He also led the Buffalo Sabres in minutes played (1,573 minutes), average time on ice (22:48), and led all defensemen in the league with 203 hits.
A majority of that progress we saw was due to having more structure around him, as well as better teammates to help lessen the load for him. With Rasmus Dahlin and Henri Jokiharju showing that they can be relied on, it took some of the pressure off Ristolainen.
In fact, he saw a dip in minutes played and average time on ice when compared to last season — though he still led the team. It was clear that he was just as effective in less time.
This is encouraging because this is also the first time he’s happy with the coaching he’s receiving. He was damn-near traded to the Winnipeg Jets under Jason Botterill, publicly shared similar frustrations as Jack Eichel, and even expressed his understanding that he would be the first person traded if it came to that — this was back in May.
Despite all of that, he still loves Buffalo and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. He’s been asked several times about a change of scenery and never once asked or hoped to be traded.
Instead, he wanted to win in Buffalo, still wants to win in Buffalo, and he started to see a glimpse of that type of culture built last year. Unfortunately, the Buffalo Sabres didn’t have the personnel to fully ignite that culture — something Eric Staal will help with this season.
I just think everything’s lining up for him to have the best season of his career and I’m not sure if that’s something other teams will see — enough to get a good return on him. That’s why I’d rather wait with Ristolainen.
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And I’ll even take it a step further and acknowledge all the negative things being said about Ristolainen. Sure, his improvement in +/- doesn’t say much and he still holds the worst +/- since entering the league (-145). Sure, he didn’t record the 40 points we’ve been accustomed to. And while we might continue to see progression, I fully understand that it might not be enough to make a big difference.
At the same time, he’s had 5 coaches in the past 7 years. He’s always been on the trade block and hasn’t had an opportunity to play comfortably. He’s been asked to do a majority of the heavy-lifting on the ice for Buffalo, despite not being ready for that role.
He hasn’t had a solid chance to reach his full potential, but I think that’s what 2020 has in store. It would be a shame to see another player get traded to a team that goes on to win a Stanley Cup. We’ve seen that enough in Buffalo.
Did you know that this story continues on the next page? Continue reading by clicking the button above — you’ll learn more about what I think the Buffalo Sabres need to do on defense this offseason.
To ensure the Buffalo Sabres are able to run with 4 offensive lines, we’re going to be looking to put together the right six-man defense for opening day.
Entering this offseason, we knew what we had in Rasmus Dahlin and Henri Jokiharju as the two faces of the defense. We also knew that there was little chance we bring back Matt Hunwick. Let’s not forget Lawrence Pilut is in the KHL for two years, so that option is out the door for now.
That brings us to three players currently on the roster with question marks — Jake McCabe, Colin Miller, and Rasmus Ristolainen — and one restricted free agent with question marks — Brandon Montour.
Of those four players, Jack McCabe is the only left-shot defenseman. We’re going to keep him on the roster because he’s proven to be a valuable player on this defense behind Dahlin. That means we need one more left-shot defenseman, which I think will either come via trade or free agency — but we’ll get to that later.
Now, let’s take a look at the right-shot defenseman. Since it’s clear we’ll be keeping Henri Jokiharju, we’ll need two more to fill out the lines. The Sabres currently have Colin Miller, Brandon Montour, and Rasmus Ristolainen to choose from — as well as Jacob Bryson and Will Borgen as prospects that are near-ready.
If you were to ask me, Rasmus Ristolainen is the last person I would trade out of that group, unless it was needed for a blockbuster trade. Of course, I’m also keeping Bryson and Borgen, though they won’t be starting opening day.
That leaves me with Brandon Montour and Colin Miller left to fight for one spot. In theory, we could keep both and have one serve as an extra, but I don’t see the point when Miller is due an AAV of $3.875 and Montour is likely due around $3.5 million unless he goes for arbitration. With an internal salary cap, that’s not smart.
We could also trade both, but I’m too attached to Colin Miller as of right now.
Brandon Montour would be first on my list, but Kevyn Adams has already come forward with high praise for him. Adams also mentioned how excited he is to get Montour under contract, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be shopped.
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With two years left on Colin Miller’s contract, it’ll be interesting to see what the Sabres do with him. He’s proven to be valuable, but Krueger underutilized him last season and didn’t seem to cater to his playing style much.
I don’t think they can keep both of them, but the one Krueger likes is the one we all want gone.
Personally, I still think the Sabres need to trade Brandon Montour and package him for a reliable left-shot defenseman that could either serve on the second or third line. That would leave them with Miller, Risto, and Joker at right-shot.
The defensive lines could look like:
Rasmus Dahlin – Colin Miller
(free agency or trade) – Rasmus Ristolainen
Jake McCabe – Henri Jokiharju
You would also have Jacob Bryson and Will Borgen on two-way contracts. I think they could see a promotion if a mid-season trade were to happen. As for the player we get through free agency or trade, they’ll need to be ready to step in and perform well right away — no excuses.
Defenseman Mark Borowiecki would be an okay free agent pickup, but that would likely put McCabe in the second line, which I don’t like. I wouldn’t mind Mark Pysyk (for the right price) as a hybrid player, which would be better than Brandon Montour playing forward in case of injury. Maybe even Ben Hutton, but now I’m just spit-balling.
What about you, Sabres’ fans? What do you want to see Buffalo do with their defensive group this season?
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