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The ongoing roster review continues with the youngster generally regarded as the key to the team's defensive corps moving forward #55 Rasmus Ristolainen D (one year left at $925,000 million, age 20) Buffalo 78/8/12/20/-32/26 Eight defencemen were taken in the first ten picks of the 2012 draft. Two went off the board in 2013 before the Sabres called Rasmus Ristolainen’s name. It was a promising, perhaps unprecedented group. 2012’s Morgan Reilly, Hampus Lindholm, and Jacob Trouba, and 2013’s Seth Jones have already totaled more than 130 NHL games. Ristolainen is next in line with 112 and joins the four above as being touted by fans as possibly being among the game’s next great blueliners. Heavily targeted by the Sabres in 2013 (a team-produced video implied they ranked him higher than Jones), Ristolainen raised hopes among the fan base thanks to numerous reports of his commitment, maturity and dedication. These were fueled by making the team as an 18-year-old, dominating in the AHL and the World Juniors after being sent down, scoring the WJC-winning goal in overtime and dropping 20-pounds in the last off-season in a commitment to fitness that cemented his position on the team. Despite the positive reviews, and an obvious mix of size and skill, his NHL performance to date has been a mixed bag. He has flashes of edge, confidence and ability, leavened by periods where he has looked young and overmatched. The fans, especially after an impressive 20-game stretch to close the year, have been very forgiving of the down times, but there is no denying -32 is not a number typically attached to a number-one defenseman. The Sabres have done little to spoon-feed Ristolainen; unlike most young defencemen, he’s mostly been thrown to the wolves and asked to survive, and that won’t change. Number-one defenceman is the role being given to him as he enters this season. His ability to handle that role will play a big part in how — and if —the team grows into a contender. Links to the rest of the series: