Rasmus Ristolainen received his change of scenery in July, but he’s still enduring the same struggles that led to his departure from Buffalo.
Ristolainen and the Philadelphia Flyers are 14 points out of a playoff spot, and will try to snap their second 10-game winless streak of the season when the former Sabres defenseman returns to KeyBank Center to face his former team at 1 p.m. Saturday.
In some ways, the trade to Philadelphia has worked out for Ristolainen. Individually, underlying metrics show that Ristolainen has made a greater impact offensively at 5-on-5, and he’s been a workhorse for the Flyers, averaging 21:09 of ice time in 36 games. It’s possible, if not likely, Ristolainen will be traded again before the March 21 deadline, which would give the pending unrestricted free agent another chance at trying to experience the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in his nine-year career.
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Team success remains elusive for Ristolainen. The Flyers have already made a coaching change and seem to be on the precipice of a rebuild. General Manager Chuck Fletcher’s major roster moves went bust, including the deal to send defenseman Robert Hagg, a 2021 first-round draft choice and a 2023 second-round selection to Buffalo for Ristolainen.
Entering Friday, the Flyers (13-19-8) ranked 26th in the NHL in goals scored and had allowed the fifth-most. Their power play ranks near the bottom of the league – Ristolainen hasn’t played at all on the man advantage after carving out a niche at net-front in Buffalo – and they’ve shown an inability to mount a comeback when falling behind early in games.
Philadelphia is using Ristolainen in a second-pairing role at even strength and on the penalty kill. His right-handed shot and rugged style of play will be coveted by contenders that are thin on the blue line.
The Sabres (12-21-7), meanwhile, turned Ristolainen’s first-pairing role over to Rasmus Dahlin, who, at 21 years old, was selected to his first career NHL All-Star Game. Dahlin leads the team in average ice time per game with a career-high 23:57 and his 26 points through 40 games are also the most on Buffalo’s roster.
Hagg, a pending unrestricted free agent, has experienced bouts with inconsistency, none more noticeable than his ugly moments with the puck Thursday against Dallas. Winger Isak Rosen, whom the Sabres selected 14th overall with the draft pick acquired in the Ristolainen trade, is receiving little ice time in the Swedish Hockey League at 18 years old, but Rosen was expected to be a key player for Sweden before the cancellation of the IIHF World Junior Championship. The other second-round selection will be another addition to the Sabres’ prospect pipeline.
While this homecoming won’t have Ristolainen reliving rosy memories from his 542 games with the Sabres, it’s the first notable reunion this season. Sam Reinhart and the Florida Panthers are scheduled to be in Buffalo on March 7, and Jack Eichel’s return with Vegas could occur March 10.
Experimenting
With Casey Mittelstadt close to returning from injury, Sabres coach Don Granato shifted Peyton Krebs to the wing during the 5-4 loss to Dallas on Thursday. Krebs, 20, had two shots on goal in 16:34 of ice time and still took 12 faceoffs.
The Sabres need to develop versatility up front because they want to give top-nine minutes to their four centers: Mittelstadt, Krebs, Dylan Cozens and Tage Thompson. A similar approach will be needed on defense, where Jack Bryson is expected to play the right side with Will Butcher out.
“If it gets late in the game and you’re looking to go down to six forwards the last three, four minutes, some of your skilled centermen are going to shift to the wing,” said Granato. “We kind of have that in mind and it’s all about that progressing toward each one of these guys being more versatile.”
Recognition
Sabres prospects Devon Levi and Erik Portillo, as well as Canisius College’s Jacob Barczewski were among the 28 goalies named the Mike Richter Award watch list, which is given annually to the NCAA’s top goaltender.
Levi, a sophomore at Northeastern, owns a .955 save percentage, nine shutouts and a 16-5-1 record, while Portillo, a sophomore at Michigan, has an 18-6-1 record and a .924 save percentage. Barczewski is a junior at Canisius with a 10-7-1 record and .926 save percentage.
