I'm gonna be grumpy if he takes off for Europe. I was hoping him and Hino would be the 13th and 14th FWs, which for Buffalo means about 45 games each. Keeping him also provides options for trades or when Girgensons and Okposo's contracts expire.
Its Danny Briere in 2005
I think R2 would be up here if the Amerks weren’t hanging on for dear life in the playoff race. They’d use the last call up on him.
It sucks if he leaves but I get it. He can make much more guaranteed money there.I would have rather seen him last night than Eakin. He's really taken Appert's coaching about getting inside to heart. He's around the net a lot and making plays away from it. It'll be sad if he does leave though I can understand it.
It sucks if he leaves but I get it. He can make much more guaranteed money there.
Yep. Much like Pilut, I will continue to root for him even after he leaves. Seems the path to the next level, the guy blocking his way, is probably Olofsson on the wing and Olofsson's taken back off now that he's healthier. Looking at it from the ability to blaze pucks from the faceoff dot on the PP, being smaller sized offensive left shooters. That way seems blocked.
Damn. Much respect. The dude knows his path to the NHL will be tough as there's a bit of a logjam at forward, but he's determined to work hard for his dream. I really liked his game last year. Thought for sure he'd cement himself into the lineup this year, but it wasnt meant to be.From the article
Does Ruotsalainen, who can become a restricted free agent, feel he has a future in the Sabres organization?
“Yes, I do,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen in the summer. This is my last year of my entry-level contract. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but, yeah, it would be nice to be here and it would be nice to be up there. That’s my goal. I’m ready to work hard for that. So I don’t know, we’ll see what’s going to happen.”
If he can get some of those offensive skills to translate also, they'll have a tough time keeping him off the roster. Been rooting for this kid for years.He's got potential to be another Asplund type. High energy forechecker with good defensive traits. I'm rooting for him to make the roster.
I wouldn't mind burning the last call up on him and see how he plays on an improved team
I don't know if I've ever seen him this happy. Is that even allowed for a Finn?
He's 25 in October, so very tricky situation from a contract standpoint. The type of depth that is emerging is exciting, but the question I have is whether the Sabres have too much of one type of thing.Amerks’ Arttu Ruotsalainen sees future with Sabres, hasn’t signed in Europe
If he's the 14th forward, he'll still play plenty in Buffalo. At the very least they should be able to spin him into an asset of some kind.
This is true. He needs to show more grit/d to be a 3rd liner. The talent is there. He might not be elite enough for a top 6 in NHL, but this guy could have a good 5-7 quality years in the NHL as 3rd liner or 4th who gets some points and is tough to play against. I'm always amazed when guys like this CANNOT transform. The pay day for moving his game a tad is like maybe $25 M in lifetime earnings in the NHL or $1 M to $2 M in Europe over his career playing his current style/game. But I guess it is easier said than done changingHe's 25 in October, so very tricky situation from a contract standpoint. The type of depth that is emerging is exciting, but the question I have is whether the Sabres have too much of one type of thing.
Big picture, can you build a championship team with these types of guys as your 3rd or 4th liners when your top 6 are cut from the same cloth? I don't think he fits with what Girgensons and Okposo are doing on the 4th line, but does he slot in on the 3rd? Is there room on either of the top 2 PP units? Does he need that PP time? Does he need top 6 minutes to be effective? Is he a defensive liability if he's not producing with limited ice time?
For me, way too small of an NHL sample to feel out what Adams is going to do here. Adams is in a tough spot with JJ and Quinn pushing up. Where do all these guys go? Adams doesn't want to block his young guys? I don't think R2 is in that category.
He's 25 in October, so very tricky situation from a contract standpoint. The type of depth that is emerging is exciting, but the question I have is whether the Sabres have too much of one type of thing.
Big picture, can you build a championship team with these types of guys as your 3rd or 4th liners when your top 6 are cut from the same cloth? I don't think he fits with what Girgensons and Okposo are doing on the 4th line, but does he slot in on the 3rd? Is there room on either of the top 2 PP units? Does he need that PP time? Does he need top 6 minutes to be effective? Is he a defensive liability if he's not producing with limited ice time?
For me, way too small of an NHL sample to feel out what Adams is going to do here. Adams is in a tough spot with JJ and Quinn pushing up. Where do all these guys go? Adams doesn't want to block his young guys? I don't think R2 is in that category.