Vegas Golden Knights: Buffalo Sabres are the ideal trading partners

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BUFFALO, NY – OCTOBER 14: Jack Eichel #9 and Rasmus Ristolainen #55 of the Buffalo Sabres talk strategy during a break in the action of an NHL game against the Dallas Stars on October 14, 2019 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images) /

1. Rasmus Ristolainen

The subject of fierce trade talk for much of the summer and the preseason, Rasmus Ristolainen’s future with the Buffalo Sabres isn’t clear and he could be the first defenseman to be moved out of the building if the Buffalo Sabres do decide to head in that direction.

So, why would he be a good fit for the Vegas Golden Knights? Let’s dive into the pros and cons…

Pros

Only 24-years-old, Ristolainen would be a long-haul acquisition for the Golden Knights and he could form the core of the blueline alongside Shea Theodore.

Also, with his current contract running through 2021-22, the Knights would have a couple of years before they would have to worry about thrashing out a new deal.

He’s a puck-moving defenseman blessed with elite vision and the ability to make plays and dictate the tempo. The 24-year-old is also a gifted playmaker and he led all Sabres blueliners in assists with 38 last year.

He was also third on the whole team in assists behind only forward Sam Reinhart and face of the franchise Jack Eichel.

There is no doubt that Ristolainen would help significantly with Vegas’ transition game and, being a right shot, he would add considerable balance to the blueline given that eight of the nine Golden Knights defensemen currently on the roster are left shots.

COLUMBUS, OH – OCTOBER 7: Rasmus Ristolainen #55 of the Buffalo Sabres skates against the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 7, 2019 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Cons

One of the biggest kinks in Ristolainen’s game is his tendency to make a boneheaded play in his own zone, and his defensive play is nowhere near the finished product although, at just 24-years-old, he has plenty of room to grow and improve.

He’s arguably not the most responsible in his own zone as backed up by the fact that he had the worse plus/minus rating on the Buffalo Sabres last year with -41, although he has looked more solid through six games this season.

We won’t get into the cap situation now because we’re going to delve into that soon, but the biggest downside to Rasmus Ristolainen’s game revolves around his bad habits and silly lapses in concentration.

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