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Rasmus Ristolainen

Evening Snapshots: Olympics, Ducks, Ristolainen

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President Rene Fasal publicly stated today that the NHL has until the end of April to decide whether NHL players will play in the 2018 Winter Olympics, reports The Associated Press. NHL participation in the upcoming games has been a point of contention this year. Most recently, Steve Keating of Reuters reported that Gary Bettman stated that everyone “should assume the players are not going.” Whether or not Fasal’s deadline is a hard deadline or a soft one, Olympic participation may dominate hockey conversation when the League wants the attention focused on its first round playoffs.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned forward Ondrej Kase to the AHL San Diego Gulls, reports Eric Stephens of the OC Register. The move comes as little surprise since Kase was scratched three times in the last four games, and failed to break the eight-minute mark in his last two appearances. In 51 games for the Ducks Kase scored 5G and 9A. In Kase’s nine games with the Gulls earlier this season he scored 3G and 4A, and a similar production streak could have him back up the NHL before the playoffs.
  • The NHL Department of Player Safety released its video explanation regarding its decision to suspend Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. Ristolainen received a three game suspension for interference after hitting Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel. The League’s decision was based on two points: (1) Guentzel did not touch the puck before being hit, and (2) the onus was on Ristolainen to alter course after the pass to Guentzel was tipped. The league did not accept Ristolainen’s defense that because he was skating backwards into the hit, he could not move in time. The league retorted that it was Ristolainen’s choice to lead into a hit that way, and he has to take responsibility for the consequences.

Rasmus Ristolainen Suspended Three Games For Interference

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The Department of Player Safety has suspended their second player of the day, handing down a three-game ban to Buffalo Sabres’ defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. It’s the first time the league has suspended Ristolainen in his four years in the NHL, and thus seems a bit excessive.

Ristolainen lined up Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel as the Penguin forward was heading out of his own zone and ready to receive a pass. As Sidney Crosby tried to send him the puck, Zemgus Girgensons picked it off inside the blueline and Ristolainen hit Guentzel anyway with his head down. The Pittsburgh forward was bloodied and suffered a concussion on the play, while Ristolainen was thrown out of the game just a few minutes in.

While it was clearly interference and therefor an illegal check, a three-game suspension seems high mostly because of the two-game ban given out to Brandon Manning earlier this year. In that play—coincidentally also against Guentzel—Manning threw a check long after the puck had been sent forward and even had “substantial head contact”.

The DoPS says that it will release a video explaining the Ristolainen outcome later today, which will likely claim that it would have been a dangerous hit whether Guentzel received the pass or not.

Snapshots: Ristolainen, Sobotka, Monsters

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Not known for a dirty or over-the-line style, Rasmus Ristolainen nevertheless was ejected from last night’s Buffalo Sabres-Pittsburgh Penguins game after delivering a bone-crushing open ice hit on Jake Guentzel without the Penguins’ forward ever touching the puck. Ristolainen had decided to hit him before the pass was deflected, and carried through the check likely not realizing it had changed direction.

Guentzel was bloodied, and lost his footing when he tried to stand up. He wouldn’t return to the game, and was immediately diagnosed with a concussion. John Vogl of the Buffalo News writes that Ristolainen may face further discipline from the league, but his head coach doesn’t think he should. “I don’t like the fact that he got ejected,” coach Dan Bylsma told Vogl, saying that his defenseman was committed to the hit, and unfortunately the puck didn’t get there. The Buffalo defender will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety tomorrow afternoon.

Sabres Extend Justin Falk

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The Buffalo Sabres announced this morning that they have signed defenseman Justin Falk to a one-year extension. Falk had been set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, after signing a one-year, one-way deal with Buffalo on July 1st last year. The extension is identical to Falk’s current contract, carrying a $650K cap hit for next season and no additional bonuses or clauses.

Falk has had a much greater role in Buffalo this season than many expected. Heading into the 2016-17 season, the Sabres had a solid six-man defensive lineup featuring the newly-acquired Dmitry Kulikov alongside Zach Bogosian, Rasmus Ristolainen, Josh Gorges, Cody Franson, and Jake McCabe. Additionally, highly-touted college free agent Casey Nelson was expected to be the next man up. Arguably one of the deepest defensive units in the NHL did not hold up for very long. Injuries set in early in the season, resulting in Kulikov, Bogosian, and Gorges missing a combined 63 man-games (so far). Ristolainen is the only Sabres defenseman to have played in all 51 of the team’s games to date, while Franson and McCabe have been missed very few contests, but Buffalo has faced difficulties making up for the damage to their blue line. Nelson struggled when called upon, and stepping in to take a somewhat permanent spot on the team’s bottom pair was Falk. The 28-year-old, who has bounced back-and-forth between the NHL and AHL for seven years, was added this off-season for veteran depth in the minors, but has surprised with his pro-caliber confidence. Just 12 games away from matching his career high, Falk has played in 35 contests this season and has saved the Sabres with his ability to fit in well as the stay-at-home defenseman of the group. Although he has just four assists and averages just 13:11 in ice time, Falk has been defensively sound and is playing perhaps the most physical, shut-down style of his career. In appreciation of his efforts, Buffalo has rewarded the blue liner with a new contract.

Like nearly all in-season extensions this year, the deal also carries some Expansion Draft significance. Teams have been very wary of the their player eligibility for the upcoming draft this June, and the Sabres are no different. Buffalo had four players that met the exposure requirement of one defenseman with term remaining on his contract that has played 40 games this season or 70 games over the past two seasons: Bogosian, Ristolainen, McCabe, and Gorges. The Sabres will protect three of those players and leave one available to the Vegas Golden Knights. The youngters Ristolainen and McCabe will surely be protected and, unless he is traded, so will Bogosian. However, the extension for Falk gives the team even more flexibility approaching the Trade Deadline. Assuming Falk plays in five more games this season, his extension now adds him to the list of exposure qualifiers. The Sabres have been playing better of late, but a playoff berth still seems like a long shot. If they decide to make a big move and trade Bogosian, or better yet, can find a take for Gorges final year, they no longer have to hesitate on pulling the trigger. Falk is a harmless selection for exposure; both highly unlikely to be picked and not much of a loss if he is.

Sabres Notes: Gorges, McCabe, Playoff Push

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After weeks of nursing his injured hip for the past dozen games, Josh Gorges returned to the Buffalo Sabres last night in triumphant fashion reports Bill Hoppe of Buffalo Hockey Beat. The team beat the Ottawa Senators in all facets and took them down 4-0 in an impressive win. The 32-year old defenseman played just over 16 minutes, but chipped in an assist and was a +2 rating. While his possession numbers are still terrible this season, Gorges adds some grit to a blueline that has sorely missed it this year. With injuries to almost every member at times, the team has had inconsistency and unfamiliarity problems all season.

  • That perhaps is going to go away, now that Gorges and Jake McCabe have returned from their respective injuries. McCabe was sidelined for five games following a shoulder injury and Zach Bogosian, who was injured on Thursday evening against the New York Rangers, is only considered day-to-day. For a team that was expected to take a step forward this season, injuries have come hard and often this year.
  • But it’s the fact that those injuries are starting to heal that has Buffalo fans inspired for the next 30 games. The club has struggled this season to be sure, but with a strong start to 2017 (the team is 8-5-2 in the new year) and a very weak Atlantic Division, there is a chance they could go on a late drive for the playoffs. The team sits at 52 points after their win last night, and though that is tied for last place in the Eastern Conference, they’re only 6 points behind Boston for third place in the division and have played four fewer games. The incredible parity in the Eastern Conference has everyone still believing they’re “in it” at this point in the season, and with Buffalo’s injury excuse, perhaps they really are. When healthy (looking at you Jack Eichel), the team can boast enough goal scoring to keep up with any team, and the duo of Robin Lehner and Anders Nilsson has actually provided excellent goaltending (a team .923 save percentage has them third in the league). A healthy top four that includes Rasmus Ristolainen, Bogosian, McCabe and Dmitry Kulikov isn’t perfect, but may be enough to keep them relevant down the stretch.

Snapshots: Larsson, Sabres, Minor Moves

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It was one of the most controversial moves of the summer, but so far the Adam Larsson–Taylor Hall trade isn’t looking as bad as many in Edmonton expected, writes David Staples of the Edmonton Journal.

Staples notes Devils GM Ray Shero is one of the strongest proponents of the trade, and why wouldn’t he be? His Devils are in a playoff spot and Hall is tied for the Devils scoring lead. But he also believes the Oilers got what they needed, according to Kevin Allen of USA Today.

“The Oilers have taken a lot of grief over this, but has anybody sat down and watched Larsson? He’s actually pretty good.”

Shero pointed to Edmonton’s desperate need for a good, young defenseman to go with their young offensive forwards, while the Devils desperately needed an offensive catalyst like Hall.

“You have to make a team, and that is challenging in a salary cap world… They are off to a great start this season. That says something.”

Staples take on the trade is that he likes Larsson’s game, but doesn’t love it yet. He’s had the occasional struggle, but he’s also playing incredibly tough minutes with a skilled but inexperienced parter in Oscar Klefbom. Staples gives the trade a passing grade, with the note that Hall is clearly the better player but the Oilers got what they needed.

  • Meanwhile, only one defense core in the NHL has yet to score a goal this season. Despite having weapons like Rasmus Ristolainen and Cody Franson, none of the Buffalo Sabres defensemen have scored. They have contributed 14 assists, however eight of those belong to Ristolainen. Franson told Bill Hoppe that he couldn’t “care less if I scored one goal in a season,” saying he prefers to get assists. Coach Dan Bylsma isn’t concerned with the lack of production, but would like his defensemen to be more aggressive.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled LW Markus Hannikainen from the Cleveland Monsters. The undrafted Hannikainen has seven points in 11 games for the Monsters so far.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled LW Roman Lyubimov from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He was sent down to the AHL on Wednesday; Sam Carchidi reported it was simply a paper transaction made for salary cap reasons. Lyubimov has one goal in 11 NHL games so far this season. Carchidi also noted that it appears Chris Vande Velde will be a healthy scratch, despite scoring twice in the last four games.
  • Rookie center Noel Acciari did not take part in Boston Bruins practice on Thursday morning, according to Joe Haggerty. He hasn’t skated since suffering a lower-body injury on Monday night versus the Sabres.

Ducks, Lindholm Agree To New Pact

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According to Bob McKenzie, the Anaheim Ducks have come to terms with RFA defenseman Hampus Lindholm, signing the Swede to a six-year deal with an AAV of $5.25MM. It had been reported in recent days that the chasm between the two sides had shrunk to around $250K annually but that each had “a line drawn in the sand.” Now, with the new pact coming in short of the recent contract inked by Buffalo blue liner Rasmus Ristolainen, it’s fair to speculate it was Lindholm who lowered his salary demands in order to get a deal done.

At this point Lindholm likely concluded it no longer made sense to miss any more paychecks. If the two sides were in fact hung up on just $250K per year, the Ducks defender will earn more than that in four games under terms of his new deal.

Given the two sides seemed to be locked firmly into their relative positions just 24 hours ago, it’s clear significant progress was made last night in order for the deal to be announced this morning. In fact, Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot provides a timeline demonstrating the “shift” in negotiations based on the reports of insiders Darren Dreger, Elliotte Friedman and McKenzie.

Cap Friendly reports that the Ducks are now about $1.4MM over the salary cap ceiling meaning the team will have to make a roster move or moves in order to clear sufficient space. As Cap Friendly further notes, even if the team sends Emerson Etem – who cleared waivers yesterday – and Dustin Tokarski down to San Diego of the AHL, the Ducks will still be approximately $150K over the cap ceiling.

It’s been widely rumored that the team could look to deal a player like Cam Fowler – $4MM cap charge – and that still might be the case; especially if the Ducks can acquire an impact LW in the trade. It’s also possible the club could simply put C Nate Thompson and his $1.6MM cap hit on LTIR. Thompson had surgery to repair an Achilles tendon injury in June and his return date is unknown.

Of course with Simon Despres already on LTIR and temporarily clearing his $3.7MM cap hit from the books, it’s likely the Ducks will still have to trim salary at some point this season when Despres and or Thompson are healthy enough to return.

Despite officially being under contract, Lindholm likely won’t see the ice for Anaheim for at least another week to 10 days, according to McKenzie. Lindholm, who has been in Sweden during the holdout, will require a new work visa and the process, as McKenzie notes, can take up to two weeks.

Buffalo Sabres Recall Hudson Fasching, Casey Nelson

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After being sent down just two days ago, the Buffalo Sabres have brought Hudson Fasching and Casey Nelson back to the NHL. Both players started the year with the club and seem destined to bounce back and forth this season.

Earlier this summer, we profiled Fasching as a possible impact rookie this season after a successful World Champioship stint with team USA. The 21-year old was a point-per-game player in his final season at the University of Minnesota, leading the team in goals with 20.

If Fasching could establish a spot in the top-six, he may be able to make an impact as quickly as this season. His size, strength and skill around the net may make him an effective NHL goal scorer when paired with some of Buffalo’s elite playmakers.

For Nelson, it’s a bit of a different story.  An undrafted defenseman out of Minnesota State University, he’s already 24 and doesn’t come with quite the pedigree of Fasching. His performance however at every level has been excellent, including notching four assists in his seven game trial last season with the Sabres. As a right-handed shot, Nelson has some big names to try and leapfrog – the Sabres currently have Zach Bogosian, Cody Franson and Rasmus Ristolainen on the right side.

LeBrun’s Latest: Lindholm, Fowler, Murray, Fleury, Condon

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Earlier today we referenced an item regarding the status of the Jacob Trouba trade discussions in Pierre LeBrun’s recent Rumblings column on ESPN.com. As it turns out, LeBrun covered a number of other worthwhile topics in his piece, which should naturally be read in its entirety. But in the meantime, we’ve got several of the highlights for your reading pleasure.

  • There’s been a lot of talk of late regarding the potential availability of Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler, in large part due to the team’s need to re-sign RFA Hampus Lindholm and Anaheim’s precarious salary cap situation. As it stands, the Ducks have less than $400K in space according to Cap Friendly. With Lindholm expected to receive in excess of $5MM annually on a new deal the team certainly has their work cut out for them. Dealing Fowler would clear $4MM in cap space, assuming of course they don’t take an NHL contract back in any trade. Anaheim also has Brandon Montour and Shea Theodore, both of whom appear to be NHL-ready, or close to it, and that could step into the vacancy should the club move Fowler – or any other defenseman for that matter. LeBrun, however, doesn’t believe trading Fowler is a “front-burner issue” and believes the club could keep Fowler. He suggests Anaheim could create some salary cap space and buy more time by placing Simon Despres on LTIR. Despres has been out since leaving the team’s first game with what is believed to be a concussion. Despres accounts for $3.7MM against the cap so the Ducks would likely have to make at least one more move to create enough space once Lindholm is re-signed.
  • Speaking of Lindholm’s contract talks, LeBrun believes the two sides continue to move closer on a new pact, with the defenseman likely using the recent extensions inked by Seth Jones and Rasmus Ristolainen – six years, $5.4MM AAV – as a comparable and the Ducks possibly countering with Morgan Rielly – six years, $5MM AAV. A six-year deal would buy out two of Lindholm’s potential free agent seasons, whereas the Jones and Ristolainen contracts only bought out one. That likely serves as justification for Lindholm’s pursuit of something more than $5.4MM annually.
  • Matt Murray’s recent extension with Pittsburgh shines the light on the decision the team will have to make ahead of next June’s expansion draft. LeBrun notes the team believes Marc-Andre Fleury’s NMC will force the Penguins to protect him, assuming he’s still on the roster. Assuming the Penguins decide Murray is their long-term answer between the pipes, the team would still have several options, as LeBrun writes. In addition to the NMC, Fleury’s contract contains a modified no-trade clause which allows him to list 18 teams to which he would accept a trade. The Penguins could attempt to move him to one of those clubs to whom the goalie would agree to go to. Or the Penguins could buy out Fleury’s contract after the season. Pittsburgh also might try to work out a separate deal with the Las Vegas franchise ensuring they don’t select Murray if the team is required to protect Fleury. The scribe did say he doesn’t believe the team has decided on a course of action as of yet. Whatever they decide, however, LeBrun believes the team will make sure Fleury is on board as they “greatly respect” their longtime #1 netminder.
  • Once Murray returns from injury, the team is likely to waive goalie Mike Condon with the intent of sending him down to the AHL. LeBrun believes he could be claimed and one interested party could be the Kings. With Jonathan Quick out for up to three months, Los Angeles may eventually look for a short-term upgrade between the pipes and they might conclude Condon fits the bill. Condon’s contract expires at the end of the season and currently makes just $575K. LeBrun suggests that Pittsburgh could call up the Kings and offer Condon in a trade with the idea that adding a late round draft pick would be better than losing the young goalie for nothing on waivers.

Atlantic Notes: Ristolainen, Callahan, Zetterberg, Huberdeau

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Despite defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen being signed for the next six years, the team doesn’t anticipate increasing his workload this season, writes John Vogl of the Buffalo News.  If anything, the team may be trying to scale back his ice time slightly.

In 2015-16, Ristolainen saw a significant jump in his playing time, going from an average of 20:37 in his sophomore campaign to 25:17 per night last season.  That ranked him tenth in the league in average ice time and after factoring in that he played in every game, his total ice time on the season slotted fifth overall.

Head coach Dan Bylsma is looking for more balance in his blueline pairings, something that should be aided with the addition of Dmitry Kulikov back at the draft in June.  The 25 year old has logged over 20 minutes per night in each of the last five seasons which will be useful if Bylsma wants to keep the ice time of pairings relatively close.

Buffalo’s back end is relatively healthy heading into tonight’s season opener against Montreal although Kulikov isn’t expected to play.  The same can’t be said for their forwards as they will be without Jack Eichel who injured his ankle on Wednesday and will miss at least a month.  Newcomer Kyle Okposo (bruised knee) also won’t play while Ryan O’Reilly (back) is questionable to suit up although he did participate in the morning skate.

Other Atlantic news and notes:

  • Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper is hopeful that Ryan Callahan should be able to return to the lineup by the beginning of November, notes Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times. Callahan underwent hip surgery back in June and was expected to be out until mid-late November.  The 31 year old had 28 points in 73 games last season, the lowest full season output of his career but was slowed in the back half last year because of the hip problems.
  • Despite knee problems creeping up and tiring as the season went on last year, Detroit left winger Henrik Zetterberg still expects to play out the remaining five years of his contract, reports Gregg Krupa of the Detroit News. Zetterberg played in all 82 games last year for the first time in four seasons but is only two years removed from missing nearly half the season with injury concerns.  The 36 year old will carry a cap hit of just under $6.1MM through the 2020-21 season and if he were to retire early, the team would be subject to salary cap recapture due to the significant decrease in his salary in the final three years of the deal.
  • Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau has undergone surgery to repair an Achilles tendon, George Richards of the Miami Herald notes (Twitter link).  There is no change to the expected timetable for his return which should be in the next three to four months.
  • The Red Wings returned goaltender Eddie Pasquale to Grand Rapids of the AHL, the team announced on their team Twitter page.  Pasquale had cleared waivers and was originally sent down last Wednesday but had been recalled on Tuesday afternoon.

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