pretty sh*tty trade for 55 honestly

Not a great return. Closer than most fans think it will be.

And another Sobotka to the KHL. Even Matt Moulsson played in the AHL. Can Sobotka make more than 3 mil in the KHL?

Ristolainen is one of the most polarizing figures I’ve ever come across on this site. Sabres fans think the team can get a haul for him while outsiders believe they can get a decent but not exceptional package. This fills the needs of the sabres by getting a guy capable of being a 2C while being able to slot into a third line role if Mittelstadt breaks out. The sabres could get a higher draft pick for sure but that’s probably about it.

I’m not really sure what’s up with Sobotka...I just see a lot of people sending him to the KHL so I just go with it. But I agree when it comes to Ristolainen. He’s one of the more overvalued players I’ve ever come across and if they can find a trade that fulfills a major need they need to do it.

I would keep him. Theres no reason to sell this low. Even if this is the real market value. Keep him and see if you can raise his value with actual nhl d and a real coach. If youre wrong and his value drops to zero, you are out a 3rd line center that you dont need, a cap dump that adds even more salary (even if buried), and a late 3rd that likely doesnt see the league in any meaningful way for years if ever.

Why do they need to do it?

I think they’ll just go into the season holding onto him. There’s really no loss or gain because having him in buffalo’s top 6 D group will only make the team stronger. Plus if he excels this season it only makes his value that much higher. I’m still expecting a trade to come about at some point probably around the trade deadline.

I thought it would help that at 5.4 for 3 years, hes cheap and cost certain. The cap not going up as much as expected hurts here, nobody that could use him has room. And we are shamefully currently over the cap ourselves.

Buffalo’s cap woes will soon subside with most of their bad contracts expiring this season. I think they’ll just bury some defenseman in the minors to get by until next season. I just gotta say they need to make it a priority to get rid of that okposo contract before Dahlin’s ELC is up.

Kulikov plus 3rd = future considerations
Lowry, Adam does not equal Ristolainen no matter how much he is hated on this site.
Over the last 4 years how many defensemen have more pts than he? ans. 21
I agree that his +/- is terrible but over the last 4 years Tyson Barrie -68, Oliver Ekman-Larsson -75 nobody is claiming their value is a 20 pt centerman (Johan Larsson?)
I am not about to say he is worth a first, prospect and more, but he is worth a lot more than Lowry.
Consider this list:
Brent Burns 23
Erik Karlsson 21
Victor Hedman 24
Roman Josi 25
John Klingberg 23
John Carlson 25
Kristopher Letang 24
Mark Giordano 28
Torey Krug 23
Keith Yandle 24
Tyson Barrie 24
Drew Doughty 21
Ryan Suter 24
Shayne Gostisbehere 25
Morgan Rielly 24
Dustin Byfuglien 26
P.K. Subban 25
Oliver Ekman-Larsson 23
Alex Pietrangelo 21
Dougie Hamilton 23
Seth Jones 24
That is a list of the Defensemen who have more pts over the last 4 years than Ristolainen and their age when they reached 40 pts. Ristolainen will start next at 24 years old and he already has 4 40 pt seasons. He was rushed and never learned to play defense well. There is no need to trade him, the Sabres ARE better with him than without him. Reduce his playing time and IMO we will see his advanced stats improve and his +/- invert.
There is more than one Washington fan who has commented that they hate playing against him because he is so physical. Maybe he needs to become less physical and learn to play better defense.


Not a great return, and I assure you that Betterall will not trade him for anything resembling this return. Insinuating that this is a fair trade is akin to trading Ristolainen for Girgensons. I agree Vlad is not walking away from millions.

Exactly, the Sabres are better with him, if he plays less his stats will improve, and value will increase.