The easy part was identifying, then drafting him with the eighth overall pick, in the first-round of the2013 NHL Entry Draft. Now, comes the hard part of deciding where
Rasmus Ristolainen slots in as a member of the Buffalo Sabres organizational D corps. There's now doubt that the kid has the pedigree and the impressive hockey resume to make the transition from the pro leagues (TPS) and World Juniors teams in his native Finland. However, we're talking about him making the huge skate strides from respected international hockey programs to the biggest, and best hockey talent pool in the world. Welcome to the NHL.
The questions that have been running through my head this summer are the obvious ones:
* Will the 18 year old impress Rolston and Regier so much so that he'll begin the 2013-14 season by playing in Buffalo's top six group?
* Will he be Buffalo's 7th D?
* Will he require a stint in AHL Rochester after training camp ends in order to get a better understanding of the NHL pace and physicality?
We're all thinking the same things about Ristolainen, aren't we?
Last month at this time, my answer was an emphatic "YES" to the question of whether or not Ristolainen would begin the season in Buffalo. In early July, the kid showed me his immense skill, his tremendous wing span-active stick, his skating prowess, and his trademark nastiness at the Sabres prospects mini-camp in Buffalo. On the ice, there's nothing that this kid can't do right now. He's the complete package of skill-size-physicality-skating-intangibles.
I mearvel at his foot speed and his hip flip. He's such a powerful, string skater now. His back skating is very impressive.
Watch him close the gap on the attacking forward. Look at his stick position as he ride the forward off the puck.
Thats a 6'4 215 lb. man child, not a 5 year NHL pro. His excellent skill perfectly compliments his nastiness and physicality.
Watching him up close certainly validates why Buffalo made him the third D man taken in the draft behind Seth Jones and Darnell Nurse. Ristolainen is the real deal!
I came away from the Blue & Gold scrimmage with a newfound appreciation for the 18 year old's total, all-around game. Mature beyond his years, and then some. He's a 1994 birth year player, however, he spent the past two seasons succeeding at a high level in the Finnish Elite League.
For all the times that I tell myself that Ristolainen will be a member of Buffalo's top six on opening night in Detroit on October 2, there's a little voice in the back of my head that's telling me that the kid needs some orientation time to get acquainted with the North American in the AHL. Maybe I'd be thinking differently about Ristolainen's chances of playing for Buffalo this season if I hadn't watched Tyler Myers' well-documented struggles on the ice in 2013.
Ristolainen has the physical tools to play in the NHL right now, but does he have the ability to withstand the NHL grind of four games in six night? He has the physical strength to play a ton of high-level hockey now, however, will he hit the proverbial "wall" like so many top prospects and first year pros do come U.S. Thanksgiving time?
Lets go ahead an write in Sharpie the following D men as starters on the Buffalo blue line right now:
Myers
Ehrhoff
Weber
Sulzer
Tallinder
Does Ristolainen have the ability to beat out the long line of challengers for the 6th D slot on Buffalo's blue line? Can he make such a profound impression that Rolston and Regier will leap-frog him up the depth chart and over McBain, Pysyk, McNabb, Ruhwedel? Before the tallinder trade, I would have said "no problem" to Ristolainen playing in the top 6. The re-acquisition of Tallinder suggests to me that the veteran D will stay and play in Buffalo. Therefore, we have another conundrum to have to solve like the Hecht-Grigorenko situation from last season. Play the 30-something vet? Or, play the first round draft choice? Thats not for me to decide. That's up to Ristolainen and Rolston. A strong training camp by the young Finn will put pressure on the head coach to sit the vet and play the young stud. Pysyk and Ruhwedel played well in Buffalo last season, and will be competing for the 6th and 7th slots in training camp, as will McNabb who is fullly recovered from the serious knee injury that he sustained last season in Rochester. What becomes of McBain? Will he stick and stay in Buffalo or will he be waived or traded? Why trade a valuable, useful player like Reggie Sekera to Carolina for McBain if the intention is to ship McBain elsewhere? Might McBain be this season's Adam Pardy or Shaone Morrisson?
Ristolainen will have to play like a bonafide NHLer in training camp in order to allay any doubts about his game. If he shows well, and I thiunk he will, the onus will then be on Rolston and Regier to have to play Ristolainen and sit (or move) a veteran D.
One assumes that Myers and Tallinder will be reunited, as will Ehrhoff-Sulzer, provided Sulzer's knee is in tip top condition after his rehab from his serious knee injury in 2013. Sulzer has said that he has been cleared for contact and he is skating in Nashville right now. Ristolainen would fill the void that any injury setback to Sulzer, were it to come to that. Mike Weber is a leader on this young club, and he's earned his ice time and his roster spot for this season. I don't see him sitting out so that Ristolainen can play.
Its a numbers game. Nine D, fighting for six D jobs. It wouldn't make sense to keep Ristolainen as a seventh D and have him in the press box as a healthy scratch mist nights. He's too valuable a player to let sit out. Therefore, he'd likely go to Rochester in that case, and end up playing 20+ minutes, in all game situations per night, until minutes opened up in Buffalo.
Kevin Oklobzija of the Rochester D and C reported on July 13 that:
Rasmus Ristolainen can play in Rochester this season if he doesnt make the Buffalo Roster in training camp. This according to Risto's Buffalo contract.
The clarification comes from Sabres AGM Kevin Devine, and is presumably due to the NHL contract that the 18-year-old Ristolainen signed on Friday night.When development camp began on Wednesday, Ristolainen said that would be required to return to his team in his native Finland if he didn’t earn a job with the Sabres. He said without hesitation that he would be bound by his Finnish contract.However, as a first-round draft pick, and apparently through terms negotiated in his NHL deal, the Sabres can assign Ristolainen to the Amerks if they so desire.There would be a chance they’d allow him to return to Finland, just as they did with winger Joel Armia. It’s highly unlikely that would happen, however, considering that they believe he’s very close to NHL ready.
Lets just see what training camp brings.
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Things that make you go Hmmmmmmm....
Why was Kyle Okposo seen having lunch on Buffalo's waterfront on Friday afternoon?
Does he love beef on weck and Buffalo wings?
Okposo's good friend and fellow Minnesotan, Drew Stafford, in back home right now. He also is friendly with fellow Gopher Thomas Vanek. Are the Sabres looking for a younger replacement for Jason Pominville on their top line? Okposo would fill that bill nicely, especially if Rolston plans on reuniting the Foligno-Ennis-Stafford line this season.
The burly, skilled RW has three years remaining on his current contract with the NY Islanders. His AAV is $2.8 million per season. The Minnesota Golden Gopher alum scored a career high 24 goals and 21 assists in 79 games in 2011-12. He also 19 and 18 goal seasons on his resume. Okposo scored 3 goals and added an assist in the Islanders six game playoff series vs. Pittsburgh in May.
The Islanders have the most available cap space in the NHL right now with $15.6 million. They have a ton of skilled forwards in their top 9. They need D and an upgrade at goaltender.
Okposo is a 25 year old power forward with a ton of upside.
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