Buffalo Sabres: 5 burning questions for 2018-19 season
By Adam Stocker
3. Can Rasmus Ristolainen improve his 5-on-5 play?
There might not be a player in the NHL who divides the NHL more than Rasmus Ristolainen. The Sabres defenseman has all the skills and ability that scouts traditionally love. Ristolainen is big, mobile, physical and has a strong shot from the point. However, the Finnish defenseman has had his game picked apart by the hockey analytical community.
The Sabres drafted Ristolainen eighth overall in 2013, believing he could be a top pairing defenseman. Over his first five seasons, Ristolainen has played the minutes of a top pairing defenseman but has not had the success of a top defenseman. Over the past three season, Ristolainen has played more than 25 minutes per game but his advanced analytics has not been favorable. The Finnish defenseman often gives up the blueline, allowing for high shots and poor possession numbers.
While Ristolainen likely never will be the No.1 defenseman that Buffalo envisioned when it drafted him, he is far from as bad as the analytics suggest. Some writers have suggested that Ristolainen is a sixth defenseman or AHL level player. However, the analytics often do not account for the poor players that Ristolainen has played with. The overworked defenseman has played far too many minutes with players who are not NHL caliber players. Outside of Marco Scandella, Buffalo did not have a true top-four defenseman on its roster. While many of the forwards the Sabres have used over the past two season are not much better. There is a reason why Botterill has overturned almost 40 percent of the Sabres roster.
The Sabres need Ristolainen to develop into a top end second pairing defenseman. Still only 23 years old, Ristolainen still has room to grow and improve as a player. However, to do so, Ristolainen needs to improve his 5-on-5 play. Through his first five seasons, it has been the biggest flaw of his game. While Ristolainen showed improvement under Phil Housley in his first season as coach, he still has a long way to go.