Rasmus Ristolainen: The $5M, 0 percentile defenseman

[Gsus]

Risto has been boiling the blood of some of the Flyers fans before he even suited for a game in Philly. Some like him, some almost hate him.

He brings a physicality into the lineup that has been missing. Personally I think he could be a good fit and already seems to have some impact on others compete level as well. Its just a matter if he can outweight the bad and improve his game in Philly.


Interview after the move from Buffalo:
‎Dropping the Gloves: Interview with Rasmus Ristolainen, Philadelphia Flyers on Apple Podcasts

 

[Beef Invictus]

I'd have preferred about twenty years between Andrew MacDonalds.

 

[Gsus]

I'd have preferred about twenty years between Andrew MacDonalds.

I never really saw Amac shooting puck that hard or having such a physical presence. Or scoring 40 pts a year.

 

[Beef Invictus]

I never really saw Amac shooting puck that hard or having such a physical presence. Or scoring 40 pts a year.

We also never saw AMac being so f***ing horrible at everything else that 40pts doesn't come close to making up for the goals that go in on his watch, or the fact that those points were the product of brute ice time with the best players and a better dman would have gotten more.

 

[deadhead]

Buffalo is where D-men go to die, look at their D-men before and after.

Now I don't expect Risto to win a Norris, but so far he looks better than Myers, which is really all I want, to have a second pair play as well or better than Sanheim/Myers in 2020.

Yes, he was chasing some hits last night, but the Caps also dressed some "headhunters" so that may have been strategic - letting the Caps know that this wasn't the game to try and make the team by targeting Giroux or Frost. Don't try to read too much into an exhibition game.

 

[kudymen]

so far he looks better than Myers, which is really all I want, to have a second pair play as well or better than Sanheim/Myers in 2020.

Is that really all you want at that cap hit?

 

[Beef Invictus]

Is that really all you want at that cap hit?

And cost of acquisition, which includes sending off Ghost to make space.

Never mind that the point of spending that much should be upgrading the second pair (actually, more like the first pair), not keeping it "as good."

 

[Hollywood Cannon]

And cost of acquisition, which includes sending off Ghost to make space.

Well you see, that doesn’t matter because all teams bleed assets.

 

[deadhead]

And cost of acquisition, which includes sending off Ghost to make space.

Ghost was gone in any case, that had nothing to do with obtaining Risto, this board is the only space in the universe where he's considered better than Yandle - that is, a limited 3rd pair D-man with offensive chops who has to be sheltered on defense. Yandle is keeping a spot warm for York.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Ghost was gone in any case, that had nothing to do with obtaining Risto, this board is the only space in the universe where he's considered better than Yandle - that is, a limited 3rd pair D-man with offensive chops who has to be sheltered on defense. Yandle is keeping a spot warm for York.

It had everything to do with obtaining Fisto, who Flutch has coveted for years and was willing to do anything to make room for.

 

[deadhead]

Is that really all you want at that cap hit?

Yep. Because that was good enough to put together a top four that helped this team to its best season in a decade.
I didn't like the trade, but at this point it's "sunk costs," so I'm just looking forward.

Win this year, then next offseason weigh the options, which include York and Zamula starting in 2022-23, and hopefully Attard and St Ivany signed out of college, and Hogberg, Wylie and Millman showing significant improvement in LHV. If Risto wants too much money, move on.

 

[kudymen]

And cost of acquisition, which includes sending off Ghost to make space.

Never mind that the point of spending that much should be upgrading the second pair (actually, more like the first pair), not keeping it "as good."

This is depressing
And how the answer is basically just "Ghost isn't that good" while other, more important, points were not addressed at all.. is also depressing. This is just shuffling deck chairs and has nothing to do with "well you guys liked that player so you are whining"

 

[Gsus]

Can NHL GM´s really suck that hard at their job that they are chasing basically a "f***ing horrible" player? My answer is maybe not, but at least give it some time.

 

[Hollywood Cannon]

Lol. He actually said “it doesn’t matter.”

Life imitates art. It’s like poetry, it rhymes.

Yasssssssss Queeeeeen

 

[Beef Invictus]

Can NHL GM´s really suck that hard at their job that they are chasing basically a "f***ing horrible" player? My answer is maybe not, but at least give it some time.

I think the guy who traded Burns for Setoguchi can easily whiff that hard on a dman assessment

 

[deadhead]

Yandle is a better fit with Braun than Ghost, don't know why, but Ghost - Braun never clicked (Sanheim - Braun looked good, but Braun can't play 2nd pair minutes). Which is why I don't miss Ghost at all. And York will be much better than today's Ghost next season (or even this spring). So I don't consider Ghost a loss, just the 2nd rd pick which unfortunately is the cost of dumping money these days (see Stralman).

 

[kudymen]

Yep. Because that was good enough to put together a top four that helped this team to its best season in a decade.
I didn't like the trade, but at this point it's "sunk costs," so I'm just looking forward.

Win this year, then next offseason weigh the options, which include York and Zamula starting in 2022-23, and hopefully Attard and St Ivany signed out of college, and Hogberg, Wylie and Millman showing significant improvement in LHV. If Risto wants too much money, move on.

Fair enough on the first paragraph.
As for the "moving on", this is basically one of the reasons why I disliked it. We can't win. We paid dearly for a player who was described by the org multiple times as "you have to work with what you have" or "we hope he improves compared to the Buffalo years", a player who will either get better and ask for much money and we let him go, or will remain underwhelming, at a high cap hit, and let go again. Or he gets better, we pay him and decrease our maneuvering abilities again.

 

[BillDineen]

Just wait for the extension whether he sucks or not...

 

[deadhead]

Fair enough on the first paragraph.
As for the "moving on", this is basically one of the reasons why I disliked it. We can't win. We paid dearly for a player who was described by the org multiple times as "you have to work with what you have" or "we hope he improves compared to the Buffalo years", a player who will either get better and ask for much money and we let him go, or will remain underwhelming, at a high cap hit, and let go again. Or he gets better, we pay him and decrease our maneuvering abilities again.

We win by winning. It's that simple. If the 2nd pair is solid and the team wins, worry about the next season next summer after the playoffs.

And if York turns out to be as good as he might be, maybe you let Risto walk, trade Sanheim and find a better RHD.

Or maybe Risto has great chemistry with Sanheim and you move out some other players to find the money to extend both of them.

Teams make mistakes all the time, yet Boston seemed to survive giving away both Seguin and Wheeler.

 

[kudymen]

We win by winning. It's that simple. If the 2nd pair is solid and the team wins, worry about the next season next summer after the playoffs.

And if York turns out to be as good as he might be, maybe you let Risto walk, trade Sanheim and find a better RHD.

Or maybe Risto has great chemistry with Sanheim and you move out some other players to find the money to extend both of them.

Teams make mistakes all the time, yet Boston seemed to survive giving away both Seguin and Wheeler.

All I can say is that I hope we landed a Rasmus Boxcar too

 

[Gregor Samsa]

It was a steep price to acquire him, but I’m willing to give him a chance. No reason not to. I have a feeling that he’ll be viewed under a microscope and judged unfairly at times. All I know is that I can’t watch the same team as last year

 

[Gsus]

It was a steep price to acquire him, but I’m willing to give him a chance. No reason not to. I have a feeling that he’ll be viewed under a microscope and judged unfairly at times. All I know is that I can’t watch the same team as last year

The reason being the cost of acquisition and maybe cap hit.

I feel like a couple of ppl from this thread wouldn´t be as loud as they are bashing him if it wasn´t for the reasons above.

Didn´t see the whole game last night but felt like he made a good impression, no? Saw couple of clips and praise from teammates.

 

[flyerslducks]

I never really saw Amac shooting puck that hard or having such a physical presence. Or scoring 40 pts a year.

He won’t score 40 points without pp time dude. He has like half his points come from there and he will never be on the top unit here…ever

 

[flyerslducks]

I feel like we know where most stand with this and this just doesn’t need to be brought up again in a new thread lol

 

[Gsus]

He won’t score 40 points without pp time dude. He has like half his points come from there and he will never be on the top unit here…ever

I know he wont. But he´s capable and probably a little more. I just don´t feel like we should bring Amac into this. I have seen enough Amac to know how he was as a player.