There was a huge sigh of relief emanating from the 716 when the Buffalo Sabres signed defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen to a shiny, new six-year contract on October 11, 2016.
For starters, fans and players alike were thinking playoffs before the 2016-17 season began, and having the team’s best blueliner available when the season started was uplifting (until all the bad luck began, that is!).
Then there was the fact that the Sabres managed to lock Risto in for six years at an affordable price. Risto is making $5.4 million per season, making him only the 33rd-highest salary among active defensemen, despite the fact that he was actually a top-25 blueliner in 2015-16 from a scoring standpoint.