Rasmus Ristolainen: A star is born?

[WildCard]

Risto is a PP guy this year because he's their most offensively gifted defenseman.    If a guy like Barrie, Campbell, Doughty, Fowler, Suter, Giordano, Keith, should I keep going? ... if Buffalo had a top tier offensive defenseman, Risto wouldn't sniff the PP.     I expect TM to fill that void within the next 18 months.

If Buffalo had 4 of those defensemen Risto may not say pp time, but even if we had two of those d-men he would still get on the 2nd unit. 

[Doohicksie]

I don't think Crockpots go that high.

 

Yeah, High setting is about 120C

[pi2000]

If Buffalo had 4 of those defensemen Risto may not say pp time, but even if we had two of those d-men he would still get on the 2nd unit. 

 

Bylsma only uses 1 D on the PP, Risto would likely see 2nd unit time if they had a top tier QB.  

 

I'm not saying he sucks, he's above average, but he's not a top 20 defenseman in the league yet, and who knows if he ever will be.     So all these comparisons to Lidstrom are premature at best. 

[qwksndmonster]

Rasmus gets PP time on every team in the league and QBs the #1 on at least 10 of them.

[nfreeman]

Most defenseman should be able to do that.   We're so used to seeing slugs like Weber, Gorges and Franson, that anytime a D-man catches someone from behind, we're flabbergasted.  

 

Rasmus is playing well, still room to improve... some of his decisions in the offensive zone seem a bit rushed... doesn't hold the puck very long.     I'd like to see him use more patience and hang on to it a bit longer.   That will come with experience.       

 

I just don't see him as a PP guy either.    Need a more offensively minded guy like TYSON BARRIE to QB the power play.

 

I am highly skeptical of the bolded. I do not remember the last time a defenseman caught a breakaway forward and cleanly checked him off the puck without drawing a penalty.

 

I'd be open to hearing some examples to prove i'm wrong though...

 

Beat me to it.  Certainly there are exceptions, but most NHL forwards are faster skaters than most NHL defensemen.  And Nyquist is well above average in speed for a forward.

 

Risto is a PP guy this year because he's their most offensively gifted defenseman.    If a guy like Barrie, Campbell, Doughty, Fowler, Suter, Giordano, Keith, should I keep going? ... if Buffalo had a top tier offensive defenseman, Risto wouldn't sniff the PP.     I expect TM to fill that void within the next 18 months.

 

I have always liked Soupy, but this ain't true no more.  He's playing out his contract and no longer an effective player.

[qwksndmonster]

Bylsma only uses 1 D on the PP, Risto would likely see 2nd unit time if they had a top tier QB.

 

I'm not saying he sucks, he's above average, but he's not a top 20 defenseman in the league yet, and who knows if he ever will be. So all these comparisons to Lidstrom are premature at best.

One person made a comparison to Lidstrom (which isn't unfair considering his age). Risto is playing like a no BS #1 right now and he's 21. He might not be a top 20 guy yet, but he's not as far off as you make him out to be. Edited December 2, 2015 by qwksndmonster

[X. Benedict]

Most defenseman should be able to do that.   We're so used to seeing slugs like Weber, Gorges and Franson, that anytime a D-man catches someone from behind, we're flabbergasted.  

 

Rasmus is playing well, still room to improve... some of his decisions in the offensive zone seem a bit rushed... doesn't hold the puck very long.     I'd like to see him use more patience and hang on to it a bit longer.   That will come with experience.       

 

I just don't see him as a PP guy either.    Need a more offensively minded guy like TYSON BARRIE to QB the power play.

Did you see the play. He was beat and closed, and lifted. Nice play. 

[pi2000]

Rasmus gets PP time on every team in the league and QBs the #1 on at least 10 of them.

 

Disagree, i can rattle off atleast a dozen teams with better options for a second unit (assuming 1 D-man per unit)... ANA, MIN, NSH, NYR, NYI, PIT, BOS, DAL, CHI, FLA, TBL, MON, OTT, and so on.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

He gets the toughest minutes.

 

Faulting him for being on the ice for a breakaway? Worrying about + -?

 

I was really hoping you would have more in your return to being the only one on the board who doesn't think he'll be a franchise defenseman.

I'll be honest.

 

I don't feel good posting again.

 

Sorry to disappoint.

 

Ristolainin, IS, your franchise defenseman.

 

Enjoy.

[WildCard]

Bylsma only uses 1 D on the PP, Risto would likely see 2nd unit time if they had a top tier QB.

 

I'm not saying he sucks, he's above average, but he's not a top 20 defenseman in the league yet, and who knows if he ever will be. So all these comparisons to Lidstrom are premature at best.

Top 20, now that's an interesting debate

[Claude_Verret]

Dahell..... 110C is over the boiling point; it was like being in a crockpot.

 

 

Yeah, crazy stuff.  I heard that story from one of our finnish hosts when I was there for a work trip earlier this year, he used it to illustrate how stubborn finns can be.

[qwksndmonster]

Disagree, i can rattle off atleast a dozen teams with better options for a second unit (assuming 1 D-man per unit)... ANA, MIN, NSH, NYR, NYI, PIT, BOS, DAL, CHI, FLA, TBL, MON, OTT, and so on.

Why are you assuming 1 Dman per unit? If a team has Rasmus and 2 better offensive D-men they're going to have all 3 of them play the point.

 

Who are the 2 D-men on these teams that are better offensively than Risto? I see no clear options for MIN, DAL, PIT, BOS, OTT, and FLA. Need I go on?

[That Aud Smell]

I'll be honest.

 

I don't feel good posting again.

 

Sorry to disappoint.

 

Oh, FFS.

[X. Benedict]

Rasmus gets PP time on every team in the league and QBs the #1 on at least 10 of them.

 

I think it's a high estimate, but the power-play has been good. 

It hasn't been because of the left point. 

I'll be honest.

 

I don't feel good posting again.

 

Sorry to disappoint.

 

Ristolainin, IS, your franchise defenseman.

 

Enjoy.

He's also 21.

No need to give him that label yet. 

[K-9]

Post-tank year one and some are disappointed that a recently turned 21 years old defenseman isn't Lidstrom yet? Really? From what planet do these expectations originate from? Just another symptom of our hot-pocket society I guess. 

 

And Mike Weber still blows. It didn't take Bylsma long to see that, too. He's lucky to have a 7th dman position in this league. 

 

GO SABRES!!!

[Doohicksie]

One person made a comparison to Lidstrom (which isn't unfair considering his age). Risto is playing like a no BS #1 right now and he's 21. He might not be a top 20 guy yet, but he's not as far off as you make him out to be.

 

I was living in Detroit when Lidstrom broke into the league and the buzz around Risto is similar to that of Lidstrom.  Interestingly, I think someone projected Risto out to 59 points this season?  Lidstrom had 60 his rookie year (11G/49A).

 

Looking at the rest of the Red Wings roster that year, they had a few mid- to above average older veteran defensemen, a few younger guys that you may or may not have heard of, and Vladimir Konstantinov, who most reminds me of Zadarov.  I would think Lidstrom's role on that crew was similar to Risto's this year.

[shrader]

I was living in Detroit when Lidstrom broke into the league and the buzz around Risto is similar to that of Lidstrom.  Interestingly, I think someone projected Risto out to 59 points this season?  Lidstrom had 60 his rookie year (11G/49A).

 

Looking at the rest of the Red Wings roster that year, they had a few mid- to above average older veteran defensemen, a few younger guys that you may or may not have heard of, and Vladimir Konstantinov, who most reminds me of Zadarov.  I would think Lidstrom's role on that crew was similar to Risto's this year.

 

I still can't get over the fact that Lidstrom never won a Norris until he was 31 years old... and then wound up with 7 of them.  If that's the comparison we really want to run with, we still have 10 years to wait.

[K-9]

I was living in Detroit when Lidstrom broke into the league and the buzz around Risto is similar to that of Lidstrom.  Interestingly, I think someone projected Risto out to 59 points this season?  Lidstrom had 60 his rookie year (11G/49A).

 

Looking at the rest of the Red Wings roster that year, they had a few mid- to above average older veteran defensemen, a few younger guys that you may or may not have heard of, and Vladimir Konstantinov, who most reminds me of Zadarov.  I would think Lidstrom's role on that crew was similar to Risto's this year.

In a league demonstrably different than young NHL dmen are playing in today. 

 

GO SABRES!!!

[LGR4GM]

Rasmus has played very well and I look forward to his continued progress.

[dudacek]

None. PK came closest.

 

The best performance from an opposing defenseman I've sen this year might have been Nick Leddy.

To the first, I agree. I think the point is that there aren't many franchise defenceman.

Also, good call on Leddy.

I live in southern California and watch just about all Kings and Ducks games in addition to all the Sabres games. First thing that jumps out at you is how slow Buffalo is on the back-end. They constantly lose puck races, fall behind the play as it moves up ice, etc...

 

With guys like Doughty, Fowler, Vatanen, Lindholm, etc... those teams rarely give up breakaways and I've seen many many times where they catch a guy from behind or at least can skate neck and neck with him to make a stick check like Risto did. They guys who are too slow to make those plays, don't exist on the top teams in the league.

 

Risto is a PP guy this year because he's their most offensively gifted defenseman. If a guy like Barrie, Campbell, Doughty, Fowler, Suter, Giordano, Keith, should I keep going? ... if Buffalo had a top tier offensive defenseman, Risto wouldn't sniff the PP. I expect TM to fill that void within the next 18 months.

It's amazing Risto is in the top 10 in defence scoring.

Must be all those cheap assists he gets from our high-flying forward corps.

Edited December 2, 2015 by dudacek

[Thorner]

Who is this monster type?

 

Doughty, Ekman-Larsson, Subban, Karlsson, Weber, Shattenkirk, Pietrangelo, Josi, Hedman, Burns, Giordano, Keith, Seabrook

I'm sure I missed a few, but those are the league's acknowledged top defenceman.

 

What defines a #1? What does Risto need to do to get there?

 

I mean, I know it's early, but so far this season, Risto's numbers are very comparable to Ekman-Larsson's. If he is considered a no-nonsense #1 D, why should Ristolainen at 21, when putting up similar numbers, not be seen as having the very attainable potential of being able to be considered a #1 D in the future? He was a highly touted propect drafted 8th overall, who appears to be putting it together. He is already top 10 in points for D this year. He is playing the role of a #1 D on this team right now, and improving all the time.

 

Yes, we can't get ahead of ourselves, but the kid is doing it right now. Sky is the limit.

[Doohicksie]

I still can't get over the fact that Lidstrom never won a Norris until he was 31 years old... and then wound up with 7 of them.  If that's the comparison we really want to run with, we still have 10 years to wait.

 

Lidstrom was a perennial nominee for the Norris, but never managed to be the top dawg until his reputation was very well established..  Lidstrom's game didn't provide the flashy replays; rather, his game was based on smarts and positioning, not crushing hits, so it was easy for him to fly under the radar.

 

And the waiting applies to the whole team, not just Risto.  We want a Cup now; we've waited long enough.  But realistically, the Red Wings didn't win their Cup until their Eichel (Yzerman) had 13 years under his belt, and their Risto (Lidstrom) had 5.  The Red Wings never truly bottomed out and tanked; their rebuild was the long and painful one Darcy envisioned.  Slower in-slower out.

 

I hope the Sabres sunk so far so fast that the series of high draft picks they got and the trades they made will result in a rebound effect and we won't have to wait 5 or 10 years to watch them lift the Cup.

Edited December 2, 2015 by The Big Johnson

[thesportsbuff]

why did i go to bed thinking Risto had a 4-assist night and now he's only listed as having had 3?

[LGR4GM]

why did i go to bed thinking Risto had a 4-assist night and now he's only listed as having had 3?

McGinn got one of the assists instead of Risto.

[K-9]

why did i go to bed thinking Risto had a 4-assist night and now he's only listed as having had 3?

Perhaps because he was on the ice for all four Sabres goals?

 

GO SABRES!!!