Value of: Rasmus Ristolainen

[Harhis]

Ristolainen is the reason why Buffalo Sabres has been continuing being crap at this season without Ristolainen.

And Ristolainen was the reason why Philadelphia Flyers was able to be crap also at last season without Ristolainen.

Tbf Flyers problem last year was goalies. (Mostly)

This year they are horrible defensively and Risto is big reason why. (Most of the team is bad but he is horrible)

 

[McVespa99]

I remember watching him live several years ago and thinking to myself "if only the Oilers had a guy with his skills". Unfortunately he has never put it together. At this point i dont see how he can be looked at as anything more than a 3rd pairing guy. His skills will probably get him another contract that is way too high for what he actually is though.

 

[Funk21]

Klingberg shouldnt be hard for Toronto to afford, Dallas would probably have extended interest in Robertson so if Toronto is calling they may go out of their way to make a deal

Personally I would all over that provided we could maneuver a Muzzin trade out this summer.

 

[Limeyjim]

Why Philly ever trade for him, and gave up assests, I have no idea.

Philly has a lame duck GM, and they're owned by the Comcast company. Fletcher was held accountable for the disaster that happened in the previous year, then he made desperation trades since the rest of the NHL wanted no one on this dumpster fire team.
In the coming offseason Fletcher will be the scape goat and he'll be fired, then the Comcast Flyers will try to buy a big name player to try and sell tickets while duping their gullible fans into thinking they're a player away from being contenders.
They'll continue being a dumpster fire until the fans boycott the team and refuse to buy tickets. When Comcast finds that they're losing money, they'll sell the team.

 

[Jerkbait]

If the return is palatable, they'll trade him anywhere IMO.

Point is pitt is last team they would trade to . Although these teams have made a trade before , its highly unlikely

 

[jonlin]

Tbf Flyers problem last year was goalies. (Mostly)

This year they are horrible defensively and Risto is big reason why. (Most of the team is bad but he is horrible)

Ristolainen too often goes for the big hit when there is better things you can do. He always looks like a guy that have all the tools, but does bad decisions with or without the puck.

 

[DickSmehlik]

Philly was literally the worst team he could get traded to. Buffalo had the 2nd worst GA last year, Philly had the worst.

I'd also be curious to see him on a good team but I wouldn't pay a lot for him if I were a GM.

 

[wankstifier]

I’d be happy with anything. Some team needs to save the Flyers from Fletcher

 

[1865]

Risto is an odd one. He's not a good player, but he is still an NHL-er. His problem is that he was over-drafted and is over-played and over-paid. In a perfect world he'd sign for 2x2 or the like ,but i doubt it.

 

[Bob Clarke Fan Club]

Point is pitt is last team they would trade to . Although these teams have made a trade before , its highly unlikely

As a flyers fan i understand this, and have for several years. Also as a Flyers fan, nobody cares who we trade RR to. It's not like they're giving up some great asset, they'd be doing damage control and taking a pick from a division rival.

 

[Fatass]

Risto is an odd one. He's not a good player, but he is still an NHL-er. His problem is that he was over-drafted and is over-played and over-paid. In a perfect world he'd sign for 2x2 or the like ,but i doubt it.

Risto needs to learn what kind of player he is, which is a guy who needs to play a very simple game. He should play like Hakenpaa. Play a very simple game, where he’s on the defensive side of the puck. I don’t think he sees himself as that kind of player though, so he too often tries to do too much.

 

[Chainshot]

Risto needs to learn what kind of player he is, which is a guy who needs to play a very simple game. He should play like Hakenpaa. Play a very simple game, where he’s on the defensive side of the puck. I don’t think he sees himself as that kind of player though, so he too often tries to do too much.

Developmentally, Risto was never done well by the Sabres. They rushed him through which was a hallmark how late-stage Regier damaged the future and helped lay the groundwork for the last decade of suck. He was not ready mentally for the game when he arrived and that didn't matter - they saw "big, strong, physical guy" as he is always described and plugged him into a terrible lineup and just expected him to swim. He wasn't a good defender in the AHL prior to getting the call, never worked out the problems in his reads and puck movement.

Then after the horrors of Mr. Gardening Gloves and Mr. Competeez, err Rolston and Nolan as his HC, he got Commander Stretch Pass as his HC and the team tried to play Bylsma's style for two years. Yes, he was struggling and almost without fail, we could isolate on the defense during the breakout and you wouldn't see a forward in frame, let alone close enough to get a quick breakout.

Then came the Pokemon equivalent of Rolston's final form: Phil Housley. One of their departed players talked about having over 60 plays to break out. His system was overly complicated and placed demands on the defensemen that were now different that Abysmals' but weren't actually any better. At this point, Risto is one of many defensemen who are making the wrong decision at the wrong time regularly. McCabe and Bogosian (on the rare occasions he wasn't too hurt to go hunting, err play hockey) would also make terrible positioning and outlet decisions on the regular.

By the time Krueger came along, and he's another f***ing gem of a compressed turd as a HC, Risto's cement is basically set. There were two brief interludes in all of this were Risto's fancy stats bounced up to at least a break-even point -- when they were forced to play him with Lawrence Pilut. Pilut, now chased off to the KHL (Thanks Botts, you big-headed twit), is a capable, mobile puck mover. Risto could do whatever and often Pilut would be able to exit the zone. Yes, Risto's dubious positioning and tendencies to just drift toward the puck like he's in mites are still there, but when he does get possession and can go d-to-d, his partner is able to work the puck up the ice.

Risto needs a strict role defensively - go protect the net front and chip to your partner or a low forward who is close enough to help with the gap (something they sometimes do now with Granato as HC but haven't done in the last decade since Ruff left). He needs the help because he doesn't process well and his panic threshold is not developed and likely never will. Offensively, just let him rumble in the offensive zone.

The other option that some vocal minority on the Sabres board proposed for a time and got a little bit of play when he was used as a net-front PP guy is just convert him to a winger. Let him worry about playing the body and getting to the net, try to be responsible defensively, but it's not nearly as bad having him fumble away pucks or be out of position if he's on the wing. Then it's just a big Finnish version of Jeff Skinner.

 

[Fatass]

Developmentally, Risto was never done well by the Sabres. They rushed him through which was a hallmark how late-stage Regier damaged the future and helped lay the groundwork for the last decade of suck. He was not ready mentally for the game when he arrived and that didn't matter - they saw "big, strong, physical guy" as he is always described and plugged him into a terrible lineup and just expected him to swim. He wasn't a good defender in the AHL prior to getting the call, never worked out the problems in his reads and puck movement.

Then after the horrors of Mr. Gardening Gloves and Mr. Competeez, err Rolston and Nolan as his HC, he got Commander Stretch Pass as his HC and the team tried to play Bylsma's style for two years. Yes, he was struggling and almost without fail, we could isolate on the defense during the breakout and you wouldn't see a forward in frame, let alone close enough to get a quick breakout.

Then came the Pokemon equivalent of Rolston's final form: Phil Housley. One of their departed players talked about having over 60 plays to break out. His system was overly complicated and placed demands on the defensemen that were now different that Abysmals' but weren't actually any better. At this point, Risto is one of many defensemen who are making the wrong decision at the wrong time regularly. McCabe and Bogosian (on the rare occasions he wasn't too hurt to go hunting, err play hockey) would also make terrible positioning and outlet decisions on the regular.

By the time Krueger came along, and he's another f***ing gem of a compressed turd as a HC, Risto's cement is basically set. There were two brief interludes in all of this were Risto's fancy stats bounced up to at least a break-even point -- when they were forced to play him with Lawrence Pilut. Pilut, now chased off to the KHL (Thanks Botts, you big-headed twit), is a capable, mobile puck mover. Risto could do whatever and often Pilut would be able to exit the zone. Yes, Risto's dubious positioning and tendencies to just drift toward the puck like he's in mites are still there, but when he does get possession and can go d-to-d, his partner is able to work the puck up the ice.

Risto needs a strict role defensively - go protect the net front and chip to your partner or a low forward who is close enough to help with the gap (something they sometimes do now with Granato as HC but haven't done in the last decade since Ruff left). He needs the help because he doesn't process well and his panic threshold is not developed and likely never will. Offensively, just let him rumble in the offensive zone.

The other option that some vocal minority on the Sabres board proposed for a time and got a little bit of play when he was used as a net-front PP guy is just convert him to a winger. Let him worry about playing the body and getting to the net, try to be responsible defensively, but it's not nearly as bad having him fumble away pucks or be out of position if he's on the wing. Then it's just a big Finnish version of Jeff Skinner.

Sabres did very well in the return they got for Risto, that’s for sure.

 

[Chainshot]

Sabres did very well in the return they got for Risto, that’s for sure.

Yeah, because twits like Fletcher see the package of "big, strong, physical" and the point totals and think they can overcome the flaws of positioning and decision making that are Rasmus' undoing.

 

[Stickpucker]

What do the Flyers want for him?

I'd like to give him a shot to run Carolinas pp2 and shelter him with Skjei or Ian Cole.

I'd send Bear for him because I don't think he's in Carolinas long term plans.

 

[Necrobutcher]

Had a rough start in Philly but hasn't he been pretty good lately?

 

[Zach716]

me too.. wonder if he can be turned into a Luke Schenn type player. overdrafted, but can be turned into at least a useful player.

As a Buffalo fan, I agree but I’m definitely in the minority on that opinion. Flyers are not the type of team he needed to possibly succeed.

 

[1865]

Had a rough start in Philly but hasn't he been pretty good lately?

We've lost 14 of 15. I don't think anyone is really been pretty good lately.

 

[Snippit]

Try him at RW. He could seriously be a pretty beastly power forward.

 

[FlyguyOX]

Philly has a lame duck GM, and they're owned by the Comcast company. Fletcher was held accountable for the disaster that happened in the previous year, then he made desperation trades since the rest of the NHL wanted no one on this dumpster fire team.
In the coming offseason Fletcher will be the scape goat and he'll be fired, then the Comcast Flyers will try to buy a big name player to try and sell tickets while duping their gullible fans into thinking they're a player away from being contenders.
They'll continue being a dumpster fire until the fans boycott the team and refuse to buy tickets. When Comcast finds that they're losing money, they'll sell the team.

This. Dumpster fire

 

[Harhis]

Ristolainen too often goes for the big hit when there is better things you can do. He always looks like a guy that have all the tools, but does bad decisions with or without the puck.

And he doesn't know what to do with the puck. He just throws it away. He makes big mistakes a lot. His net front cover is bad for guy his size. Loses opposing guys in the own zone. Follows puck.

Basically he does all the mistakes you expect 14 year old do.

 

[jonlin]

And he doesn't know what to do with the puck. He just throws it away. He makes big mistakes a lot. His net front cover is bad for guy his size. Loses opposing guys in the own zone. Follows puck.

Basically he does all the mistakes you expect 14 year old do.

Thats why I have said for years hes got all the tools but no toolbox. He just seem to have no hockey-IQ at times.

 

[Holy Slapshot]

Philly has a lame duck GM, and they're owned by the Comcast company. Fletcher was held accountable for the disaster that happened in the previous year, then he made desperation trades since the rest of the NHL wanted no one on this dumpster fire team.
In the coming offseason Fletcher will be the scape goat and he'll be fired, then the Comcast Flyers will try to buy a big name player to try and sell tickets while duping their gullible fans into thinking they're a player away from being contenders.
They'll continue being a dumpster fire until the fans boycott the team and refuse to buy tickets. When Comcast finds that they're losing money, they'll sell the team.

Very true but fans will never refuse to buy tickets... So this may as well last for another decade and more. Can see promising things for the future in Ottawa or even Arizona, but in Philly... ...not too many.

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

Thats why I have said for years hes got all the tools but no toolbox. He just seem to have no hockey-IQ at times.

You could stop at IQ.

 

[member 334057]

And he doesn't know what to do with the puck. He just throws it away. He makes big mistakes a lot. His net front cover is bad for guy his size. Loses opposing guys in the own zone. Follows puck.

Basically he does all the mistakes you expect 14 year old do.

He kind of makes me think of a Quarterback who throws the ball wherever the receiver is supposed to be on a specific play without reading the field and seeing if that player is actually going to be in position. Sometimes it looks like he's passing the puck to where he thinks the other player is "supposed" to be and not where they are actually going.