Did Risto ever even demish some poor sap and stick up for his teammates at all last season?
I love that the numbers are wrong but those who like Risto think hes a shutdown/stay at home defenseman when hes not. Hes a big guy with average skill and low hockey iq who roams and hits people.
Also...is there any actual evidence tbat RD/LD pair is that important?
No, he hardly does anything other than put himself out of position by chasing weak little bumps. He maybe had one or two "big" hits all season but they're so forgettable nothing comes to mind.
And yeah, with stupid, lazy people like ASF and DiMarco, everything is about cliches and stereotypes. They're not willing to educate themselves and learn about the sport they're paid to cover, so they act like things like advanced stats are the enemy. Or if you're DiMarco, you use them wrong in an attempt to prove a point but if anyone ever mentions them to you then you shriek about how they're only a tool and don't prove anything.
As for RD/LD, the best pair we've had in the last decade was two LD's together, so no, it's nowhere near as important as hockey dinosaurs want us to believe.