So far this offseason, we have heard that the Buffalo Sabres could be moving on from Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart. And as of this morning, you can add another Sabres veteran player to the list of potential trade targets this offseason. According to a tweet from Lance Lysowski, the New Jersey Devils have interest in trading for defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.
Another Sabres note for you all: the Devils have interest in defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, according to multiple sources.
— Lance Lysowski (@LLysowski) June 15, 2021
The Devils have the assets (picks and prospects) that would make a deal work for Buffalo. Glaring need at RHD with Carrick a UFA.
Ristolainen is coming off a year in which he played in 49 games and had 18 points on four goals and 14 assists. He also posted a -18 +/- this past season. Not the type of season that a team would want from one of their top defenders.
Rasmus has played his entire NHL career in Buffalo. Since coming into the league in 2013, he has played in 542 games for the Sabres. In those games, he has tallied 245 points on 46 goals and 199 assists. He also has a career +/- of -163.
Trade rumors surrounding Risto are starting to become a yearly occurrence. But up to this point, nothing much has come from them. But with the 2021 NHL Draft quickly approaching, we will see if anything comes from this most recent trade rumor.
The Devils have plenty of picks and prospects that they could send to Buffalo in exchange for Ristolainen if a deal were to get done. New Jersey has eight total draft picks in this upcoming draft, including the New York Islanders’ first and second-round picks they acquired via trade this season. They also have the Sabres’ fifth-round pick they got from trading Wayne Simmons to Buffalo.
New Jersey also owns the Arizona Coyotes seventh-round pick. So they have one pick in every round plus two first-round picks. So if they were to make a move for Ristolainen, it is hard to imagine how they would do that without giving up at least one of their 2021 draft picks.