You think one of the smartest analytic teams in the NHL who is even being strong willed on their captain is going to trade for one of the biggest albatrosses in the NHL

I honestly think outside of BUF with a good coaching staff Ristolainen will turn into a great player.
I like his style of play for a defenseman. He just needs the right fit.

Ristolainen is awful

What makes you say that Ristolainen is an albatross? Seems to me that he's simply been overplayed as a top pair Dman on a bad team. On a good team where he plays 2nd pair (or even 3rd pair when Johnson is healthy) and with a good puck moving LHD he should be able to simplify his game, at least in theory...

Do you think the trade price above is fair?

He wouldn't be my first choice, but I'd imagine that Sakic would at least do his due diligence given that a rugged 2nd pair RHD is exactly what the Avs need.

He is awful defensively. He hits bc hes bad

You can sign jamie oleksiak 3m and not having to give upa 2nd and Helleson in a massive over pay for a bad dman. Give up more than you got for Graves for a worse Dman seems silly

too much for him and not interested in him. id rather role with the d we have or chase suter instead.

I don't think BUF would accept to be honest.
Look BUF is a **** place to play hockey. Hell even Taylor Hall quit playing there.
That doesn't mean the kid doesn't have value.

I truly think Risto put in the right situation (good team with good leadership where he doesn't play over 20 mins a night) is going to be much better than his stats in BUF were. Not worth overpaying but if you get him at a reasonable price, I think its a sneaky good move for a team that utilizes him right.

Thats a mighty good offer for Sabres.
I am high on Helleson.
And Devils were routinely declining Risto for that 2nd round pick offers from Buffalo.

Its one of those things that's so extreme that if you can't find the answer to this by yourself then me going further wont change much.

I think in general its likely true that a guy getting dumptrucked in every area would get dumptrucked less if he played against worse players but that takes him from horrid to just awful.

If Buf could get anything for him the past 4 years they would have moved him but at this point Buf will be paying teams to take him or someone will be making a mistake.

On a team that is actually trying to win he is a complete non starter as they aren't looking for reclamation projects, they are looking for proven assets

Totally agree with you here

I'm curious to hear more. What is it that he does in particular that makes him a liability?

As for Buffalo not having moved him yet, that's probably more to do with them overvaluing him and wanting a 1st, which no one wants to pay.

He's a huge guy who can still win board battles and defer to a puckmover like Girard or Byram while playing in a very defined system, don't you think?

What do you think he does well? Outside of not taking penalites he is sub replacement level in every category. He is terrible at everything.

He is one of the reasons WHY BUF is so bad. If COL could have him at 50% retained for free they should say no. Even guys like Keith are wildly better than him

The ONLY valid reason for wanting him is if you want to have an Aqua Team Hunger Force night