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Rasmus Ristolainen

Sabres Agree To Terms With Ristolainen

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Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray has confirmed earlier reports that the team has signed Rasmus Ristolainen to a new contract, as John Vogl of The Buffalo News tweets. Terms of the new arrangement are unknown at this point.

Ristolainen developed into the team’s top blue liner in 2015-16, scoring nine goals with 32 helpers. The three-year veteran has tallied 19 goals and 65 points in 194 games during his career.

Bob McKenzie adds that the deal is for six years and worth an average of $5.4MM annually. He notes the contract is identical to the one recently agreed to between fellow right-handed defenseman Seth Jones and Columbus.

The signing leaves the Sabres with just a shade less than $2MM of cap space with 23 players under contract – 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies – as Cap Friendly notes.

With Ristolainen under contract, only three prominent RFAs remain unsigned: Hampus Lindholm, Rickard Rakell and Jacob Trouba. Mckenzie speculates that the Ristolainen contract represents the absolute floor for Lindholm. It will be interesting to see whether this agreement helps push the negotiations between Lindholm and the Ducks any closer to a resolution.

 

Atlantic Notes: Vanek, O’Reilly, Ristolainen, Byron, Czarnik

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While he was quickly cast aside in recent years by Montreal and Minnesota, winger Thomas Vanek is still full of confidence and motivation heading into the season, writes MLive’s Ansar Khan.  After the Wild bought him out in June, Detroit quickly snapped him up, signing him to a one year, $2.6MM deal.  Vanek noted a big reason for signing with the Red Wings was their belief that he can fill a key role with the team:

“The way they described my game and how they see my fit here, it’s something I wanted to hear because I still feel I can score 20-plus goals.”

Vanek is expected to start the season alongside speedy center Darren Helm although the opposite winger has yet to be determined.  Head coach Jeff Blashill also stated that Vanek should play on the top power play unit, where he will be expected to get to the front of the net instead of playing on the perimeter as much as he has in recent years.

[Related: Red Wings Depth Chart]

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Sabres center Ryan O’Reilly left Wednesday’s preseason game – his first since returning from the World Cup of Hockey – with back and midsection spasms, notes John Vogl of the Buffalo News. However, the injury doesn’t appear to be series with head coach Dan Bylsma classifying it as a day-to-day issue.  The team already is missing right winger Kyle Okposo plus blueliners Zach Bogosian and Dmitry Kulikov with various bumps and bruises, although none are believed to be too serious.
  • Bylsma also expects the team to reach an agreement with a contract with RFA defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen before the start of the season next week. The 21 year old is in camp with the team and is taking part in practices (unlike the other restricted free agents around the league) but has not yet suited up in the preseason.
  • Canadiens left winger Paul Byron is battling pneumonia, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie.  He’s expected to miss at least a few days which at least puts his availability for the beginning of the season into question.  Byron had a career high 11 goals with Montreal last season, earning himself a three year contract in the process.
  • Boston center prospect Austin Czarnik has made a significant impression in training camp which has allowed head coach Claude Julien to experiment with an all centers second line comprised of Ryan Spooner, David Krejci, and David Backes, notes CSNNE’s Joe Haggerty. However, Julien suggested that the team may yet experiment with Czarnik on the wing which would force one of the other centers (likely Backes or Spooner) back to the third line.

Atlantic Notes: Ristolainen, Kucherov, Mantha, MacArthur, Matthews

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Sabres RFA defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen has reported to the team despite being unsigned, notes John Vogl of the Buffalo News.   Both Ristolainen and his agent Mike Liut asked for the 21 year old to be allowed to skate with the team, which has been approved by GM Tim Murray.

Despite this development, it should not be construed as a sign that the two sides are close on a contract.  TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported on Wednesday that the two sides are at least $1MM apart per season on a new deal.  It does, however, remain noteworthy as it is very rare that an RFA will skate with a team despite being unsigned.  Most players simply stay away until a new deal is done.

Last season, Ristolainen had a career year, scoring nine goals while adding 32 assists while playing all 82 games for the first time.  He also logged an average of 25:17 per game in ice time, ranking first on the team.  He is expected to once again by Buffalo’s top blueliner once a new contract is signed.

More news out of the Atlantic Division:

  • Tampa Bay RFA right winger Nikita Kucherov will not report to camp without a contract like Ristolainen is, reports Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. GM Steve Yzerman remains “very hopeful” that a deal will get done although the two sides appear to still be a ways apart on a new deal.  The Lightning have roughly $5.5MM in cap space according to Cap Friendly but it will likely take more than that to get the 23 year old re-signed.
  • Red Wings prospect winger Anthony Mantha was asked to put on weight this offseason and a result, he often ate seven or eight times per day, writes Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Mantha, Detroit’s first round pick (20th overall) in 2013, completed his second pro season last year, spending most of it with their AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids.  He did get into ten games with the Red Wings though, scoring twice while adding an assist.  The 22 year old is expected to contend for a roster spot this season but his waiver exemption could potentially work against him if someone else who is waiver eligible stands out.
  • Despite missing most of last season with concussion problems and suffering another concussion over the weekend, Senators left winger Clarke MacArthur has no plans to retire, reports Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. In a statement released today, the 31 year old stated that he intends to return to the lineup at some point this season.   MacArthur has four years remaining on a five year deal signed back in August of 2014 with a cap hit of $4.65MM.  If he is expected to miss considerable time (which seems likely at this point), he would be eligible to be placed on Long-Term Injury Reserve.
  • 2016 first overall pick Auston Matthews is expected to make his Toronto preseason debut on Friday, notes the Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby. Matthews recently joined the team after suiting up for Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey, where he had three points (2-1-3) in three games.

RFA Notes

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It’s been an unusual off-season in the NHL, with seven high profile Restricted Free Agents (RFAs) remaining a week into training camp. Compared to last off-season, when teams moved quickly to sign or trade players to avoid the threat of offer sheets.

In a series of tweets, TSN’s Bob McKenzie sent out the latest in negotiations from across the league.

Anaheim Ducks – Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell – The Ducks are using Morgan Rielly and Seth Jones as comparable contracts, while Lindholm’s camp is pointing to Aaron Ekblad’s $7.5MM AAV. McKenzie clarifies that Lindholm isn’t asking for $7.5MM, more in the $6MM-plus range. McKenzie hasn’t been able to determine the range of numbers from the Rakell negotiations yet.

Arizona Coyotes – Tobias Rieder – The two sides are less than $500K apart. Rieder is currently looking for two years at $2.5MM per season, while the Coyotes aren’t budging on their offer of two years in the low $2MM range. Rieder does have KHL offers to consider, or McKenzie suggests he could ask for a trade or hold out.

Buffalo Sabres – Rasmus Ristolainen – The Sabres and Ristolainen are in the same situation as the Ducks and Lindholm, according to McKenzie. The two sides are at least $1MM apart, with each side standing firm with their comparables.

Calgary Flames – Johnny Gaudreau – This is likely the most fascinating case, as Gaudreau isn’t technically an RFA because he falls under the 10.2(c) CBA clause. Because Gaudreau hasn’t accrued three years experience, he isn’t eligible for an offer sheet and therefore has basically no power, other than holding out. McKenzie believes the Flames want Gaudreau to sign in the same range as Sean Monahan (six-years, $6.375MM per) and no higher than captain Mark Giordano ($6.75MM per), while Gauderau is looking for more than $8MM per season. The two sides have not negotiated recently, according to McKenzie, who called the situation “bit of a Cold War”.

Tampa Bay Lightning – Nikita Kucherov – If not Gaudreau, then Kucherov is definitely the most complex RFA situation due to the Lightning’s cap issues. While Kucherov has a long list of comparable contracts in the six-year, $36MM range, that’s not possible in the Lightning’s current state. They’ll need to move someone to accommodate another $6MM; McKenzie believes Ben Bishop will be traded sometime this season, but expects he’ll start the season in Tampa.

Winnipeg Jets – Jacob Trouba – There has been plenty of digital ink spilled on Trouba’s trade request, but the only new information from McKenzie was that Trouba is not interested in signing an offer sheet, because the Jets would not be allowed to trade him for a calendar year, should they match. That defeats the purpose of wanting to be traded.

It is still early in the season, but there is a firm deadline coming up: December 1st. Should an RFA not be signed by then, then he will be ineligible to play for the remainder of the season.

This is likely only a consideration for Trouba, with the Jets’ habit of slow-playing trade requests and waiting out poor trade offers.

Snapshots: Ristolainen, Fleury, Avs

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News and notes from around the NHL:

  • Buffalo Sabres unsigned RFA Rasmus Ristolainen has not yet reported to the Sabres training camp. Camp opened Monday but the young defenseman is still without a contract. Coach Dan Bylsma told WGR 550 that he would like Ristolainen at camp, but that he is confident a deal will be made soon. Ristolainen is one of 11 unsigned RFAs, including Jacob Trouba, Johnny Gaudreau, and Hampus Lindholm. Prepare to see more camp holdouts as training camps open up across the NHL.
  • Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to get the majority of minutes in goal this preseason after fellow netminder Matt Murray broke his thumb in the World Cup of Hockey. Coach Mike Sullivan said that Fleury needs the time to get himself fully prepared for the regular season. This is a blow to prospect goalie Tristan Jarry as he has less opportunity to showcase his skills.
  • Mike Halford of NBC Sports reports that the Colorado Avalanche plan to be a much faster team in transition come next season. Last season former coach Patrick Roy emphasized slowing the game down and passing the puck amongst the defensemen before pushing forward. According to Tyson Barrie and Nathan MacKinnon, however, new coach Jared Bednar asks the defensemen to push the pace and pass the puck up quickly. Colorado’s youth is well-suited for this speed-style system, but high-flying offense usually become defensive liabilities without the proper precautions.

Snapshots: Steen, Ristolainen, Sobotka, Halak, Bobrovsky

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Although he withdrew from the World Cup of Hockey last month, Blues forward Alex Steen is hoping he will be ready to suit up for St. Louis in their season opener on October 12th, reports Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Steen stops short of saying he’ll definitely be ready to play against Chicago on opening night but hopes to be ready by then or shortly thereafter:

“(The opener) seems like a realistic target, but we’ll see how it reacts. I haven’t done much. These (practice) skates, there’s not a lot of contact, so we’ll see once we get a little bit of contact. But I think for sure I see myself playing in October.”

Although he won’t be able to play for his native Sweden in the tournament, Steen noted that the goal of being able to play there actually forced him to accelerate his rehab process from his shoulder surgery back in early June.  Without doing so, the chances of him being available to start the season would have been lower.

Steen also denied the speculation that he has given the team an ultimatum to re-sign him before the end of the preseason:

“I don’t know where that surfaced, that’s not something that’s come from me. I want to be in St. Louis and the organization knows that. I’m sure we’ll get to it when we get to it, so we’re not stressed about it. Right now, the whole focus has been on the shoulder, getting that ready and getting the group back together again.”

Steen is entering the final year of his contract, one that carries a cap hit of $5.8MM and a salary of $6.5MM.  He has been in St. Louis since late 2008 when he was acquired from Toronto along with defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo in exchange for right winger Lee Stempniak.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Buffalo blueliner Rasmus Ristolainen isn’t yet worried that he doesn’t have a new deal with the Sabres, writes Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. Ristolainen is coming off his entry-level pact which carried a guaranteed salary of just $925K.  He was one of the bigger bargains on the back end last season, one where he had a career high 41 points in 82 games.  Harrington suggests that Ristolainen, who will suit up for Team Finland at the World Cup of Hockey, is seeking a five or six year deal which would cover his remaining restricted free agent years.
  • There is still no deal in place yet to officially allow Vladimir Sobotka to return to St. Louis for the upcoming season, notes ESPN’s Joe MacDonald. The Blues and his KHL team Avangard Omsk as well as his agent are expected to talk during the World Cup to try to come to a resolution.  Sobotka has one year on his deal remaining in Russia but also owes St. Louis one year with a salary of $2.725MM, an arbitration award from back in July of 2014.
  • New York Islanders goaltender Jaroslav Halak has earned the #1 job for Team Europe at the World Cup, head coach Ralph Krueger announced. He beat out Islanders teammate Thomas Greiss and Washington’s Phillip Grubauer for the job.  Team Europe plays their first game of the tournament on Saturday afternoon against Team USA.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets netminder Sergei Bobrovsky will start Team Russia’s first game on Sunday afternoon, reports NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika.  He beat out Colorado’s Semyon Varlamov and Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy for the start in the opener.  Head coach Oleg Znarok wouldn’t say who he plans to start beyond that and noted that no decisions have been made on what their lineup against Sweden will be.

Sabres, Girgensons Settle On One-Year Deal

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The Buffalo Sabres and Zemgus Girgensons have reached agreement on a one-year contract, as first reported by TSN’s Travis Yost, via Tweet. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnson reports that the deal is worth $1.15MM. The Sabres confirmed the signing on their website.

Girgensons is coming off a disappointing season, tallying 18 points while netting just seven goals in 71 games. In 2014-15, Girgensons appeared to be on the verge of a breakout as he potted 15 goals and 30 points in 61 contests as a 21-year-old with the Sabres. More was certainly expected of him last season but Girgensons won’t turn 23 until January and still has the ability to be a key building block moving forward for Buffalo. He is poised to center Buffalo’s third line behind Ryan O’Reilly and Jack Eichel.

The signing leaves D Rasmus Ristolainen as the team’s sole remaining RFA. After re-upping Girgenson, the Sabres still have over $7MM in cap space—enough to cover both this deal and a new contract for the still unsigned Ristolainen.

 

Atlantic Division: Remaining RFAs

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We are less than a month away from the start of the World Cup and training camps. However, there are still 15 restricted free agents remaining, and many of them are not who you would expect to be unsigned at this point. Two NHL teams’ leading scorers, four top-four defensemen, and several other high quality players are still looking for new deals.

Let’s continue our break down of the remaining RFAs by taking a look at the Atlantic Division:

Buffalo Sabres – $8.15MM in cap space, according to Cap Friendly – Like the Anaheim Ducks, the Sabres have two RFAs remaining; also like the Ducks, it’s their third line center and number one defenseman. Zemgus Girgensons and Rasmus Ristolainen were the Sabres’ first round picks in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Ristolainen lead all Sabres defensemen with 41 points (good for fourth in team scoring) and averaged nearly three more minutes of ice time per game than the next skater. Over his three-year career he has been counted on to be an all-situation defender, starting more than 57% of his shifts in the defensive zone and still leading all Sabres defensemen in scoring over the last two seasons. The Sabres will want to lock him up long-term.

Meanwhile, Girgensons had something of a down year in 2015-16, dropping from 30 points to 18 despite playing 10 more games. Expect a one-year contract in the $1MM range as he looks to rebound.

Tampa Bay Lightning – $6.59MM in cap space, according to Cap Friendly – Lightning GM Steve Yzerman managed to re-sign Steven Stamkos and extend Victor Hedman, but has yet to sign their leading scorer from last season: Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov has put up seasons of 65 and 66 points and will be looking for a Filip Forsberg-type contract. Forsberg also was coming off back-to-back mid-60 point seasons and signed long-term in Nashville for six years at $6MM per. While the Lightning could likely make that salary work this season, it’s next summer that has to be looming large for Yzerman. The other two members of the Triplet Line, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat, and starting goalie Ben Bishop all need to be re-signed, though Bishop figures to be traded to avoid losing him for nothing in the expansion draft.

The Lightning also have defenseman Nikita Nesterov to sign. The young depth defenseman will be looking for a bigger role after the team bought out Matt Carle in June. He’ll likely sign for a short “show-me” contract to prove he can continue to be a regular on a Cup contending team.

You can read our review of the Pacific Division RFAs here.

Snapshots: Unsigned Restricted Free Agents, Trouba, Hudler

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The list of Restricted Free Agents has some serious star power on it, despite the calendar turning to August. Between Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Hampus Lindholm, Rasmus Ristolainen, Nikita Kucherov, and Jacob Trouba, there are a handful of elite franchise building blocks without a contract. If you’re keeping count at home, that’s two legit number one defenseman, a possible number one in Trouba, and three high-end first line forwards. Quality players like Ryan Strome and Cody Ceci are also waiting to get contracts, having passed on their qualifying offers.

Here are some other snapshots from around the hockey world:

  • On That’s Hockey, TSN’s Gary Lawless reported that things are very quiet between Trouba and the Winnipeg Jets, saying the two sides are far apart on “everything… they’re apart on term, they’re apart on money, they’re apart on usage”. Trouba finds himself behind Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers on the right side, and according to Lawless he feels he should be playing with one of the team’s top defenders. A trade involving Trouba is unlikely according to Lawless.
  • Also on TSN, Travis Yost made a strong case for UFA winger Jiri Hudler, arguing that while he’s past his prime scoring days, Hudler still has a very positive effect on his teammates. Hudler raises his team’s shooting percentage by 2.44 per cent when he’s on the ice. That ranks fourth in the NHL since 2010, behind superstars Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, and the now-retired Martin St. Louis. We ranked Hudler 18th on our Top 50 Free Agents list back in June, and estimated a four-year, $16MM contract. Look for him to sign a much less expensive one-year pact with a goal-hungry team to prove he’s still got it.

NHL Notes: RFA Defensemen

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As we mentioned earlier this week, there are several very talented Restricted Free Agents (RFAs) who have yet to sign contracts for next season. Of the 24 RFA defensemen who played in the NHL last season, 15 of them averaged more than 15 minutes per game (minimum 25 GP). Despite the high value of young capable defensemen (see Larsson, Adam), it is the their teams who appear to have the upper hand in negotiations.

Let’s take a look at the top five unsigned defensemen:

1. Hampus Lindholm – Anaheim Ducks – The Ducks number one defenseman, Lindholm averaged 22:00 minutes per night last season with superior possession numbers. His 28 points were 54th among defensemen, but Lindholm is still a bona fide top-pairing option. Lindholm is likely looking for a long-term contract in the $5-6MM range, similar to the Morgan Rielly ($5MM, Seth Jones ($5.4MM), and Nick Leddy ($5.5MM). The Ducks would probably prefer something lower, in the Travis Hamonic ($3.86MM), Oscar Klefbom ($4.17MM), and Justin Faulk ($4.83MM) range. Anaheim is a budget team, and is already only $8.4MM away from the cap ceiling with Lindholm and Rickard Rakell still to sign. Lindholm is not eligible for arbitration, and an offer sheet seems unlikely given the current NHL climate.

2. Tyson Barrie – Colorado Avalanche – Barrie seems to be constantly featured in trade rumors, mainly due to his high-end offensive ability (49 points last season) and coach Patrick Roy’s apparent lack of confidence in him. It doesn’t help that the Avalanche have just $8.3MM in cap space before Barrie and Mikhail Grigorenko’s arbitration hearings in late July. Barrie and his agent don’t need to look any further than teammate Eric Johnson’s $6MM salary for a starting point; Barrie outscored Johnson by 22 points in similar time-on-ice.

3. Rasmus Ristolainen – Buffalo Sabres – Ristolainen lead the Sabres in ice-time by just under 500 minutes. He was also fourth in team scoring with 41 points. He’s also extremely big at 6’4, 207 lbs and mobile. Ristolainen is already the Sabres best defenseman, and he’ll only be 22 in October. The Sabres will look to sign him long-term somewhere in the Faulk to Rielly range. The Sabres have approximately $11MM in cap space and still need to lock up Marcus Foligno and Zemgus Girgensons.

4. Jacob Trouba – Winnipeg Jets – Trouba is in an interesting situation in Winnipeg: he’s considered a future top-pairing player, and is big, mobile, and right-handed. However, he’s blocked from playing top-four minutes by fellow right-handers Dustin Byfulgien and Tyler Myers. Trouba has played the left side before, but like most players performs better on his natural side. There seems to be two options for Trouba; he can sign a bridge-deal and earn a big payday in two seasons when Mark Stuart and Toby Enstrom are free agents, or he can holdout for the big payday now. There was some talk last month about the Bruins looking at Trouba as an offer sheet candidate, but that seems to have passed. He’s not eligible for arbitration, so the ball is in Winnipeg’s court.

5. Danny DeKeyser – Detroit Red Wings – With Niklas Kronwall turning 35 last season, DeKeyser appears poised to be the next big man on the Red Wings blueline. The two defensemen lead the team in ice time, and DeKeyser will likely pass Krowall in that regard next season. The 25-year-old DeKeyser put up just 20 points last season, however Mike Green was the only defenseman who scored more. DeKeyser is scheduled for arbitration on July 28, but could very likely come to a longer agreement with the Red Wings before then.

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