For the Buffalo Sabres and fans alike, one of the most important tasks this offseason is locking up the Finnish blue-liner, Rasmus Ristolainen, to a long-term deal. It’ll likely take a big dollar amount, but for anyone that watched the bulk of last season, I’d venture a guess that most people out there would rightly say he deserves it. That being said, I do feel that at certain points the Sabres over-utilized Ristolainen last season, especially on the Penalty Kill, when much of that work could’ve been shouldered in the form of Jake McCabe.
In looking at plus-minus for the regular season, Ristolainen finished at -21, which, incidentally, was the worst on the team.