Rumor has it that Buffalo Sabres prospect Arttu Ruotsalainen is heading back to Europe to continue his hockey career next season.
General manager Kevyn Adams, or someone in the Buffalo Sabres organization needs to, somehow, against all odds, find a way to keep Arttu Ruotsalainen in the system. I touched on this topic a couple of weeks back, but it needs to be discussed again, again, and again unless Ruotsalainen officially leaves the organization or decides to stay.
Right now, at this moment, it makes more sense to have Ruotsalainen than Jack Quinn on the Sabres roster. And yes, you have full permission to castigate me all you want. I get it. Quinn is a former eighth overall pick and he scored an astounding 61 points in 45 games, but right now it doesn’t matter.
The Buffalo Sabres need to find a way to keep Arttu Ruotsalainen in the organization
Ruotsalainen is producing in the playoffs, Quinn’s play has stalled over the past five games, scoring just a single point when it matters the most. Not that Quinn isn’t ready to make the jump to the NHL. He also needs to be in Buffalo next season. But Ruotsalainen has more than proven he deserves it with 60 points in 62 games (counting the playoffs).
Even if it means signing Ruotsalainen to a one-way contract and paying a little extra to keep him around, he has played well enough this season to deserve some bonus cash. Per Cap Friendly, Ruotsalainen’s entry-level deal sat at $2.775 million for three seasons.
Give him an offer he can’t refuse to keep him in the organization for another two seasons, that’s all I’m asking.
A prove-it deal, really. And if he doesn’t play to the same level in the NHL, most likely on the third line, then let him return to Europe. But Ruotsalainen is playing at way too high of a level to let him just walk away from the organization.
While the Sabres still have a chance, they need to try and keep him around until 2024. And if he plays well, sign him to a long-term, lucrative deal. At this point, re-signing Ruotsalainen is still a low-risk investment for a player with a lot of potential.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)