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Some quick notes on Ilves center Arttu Ruotsalainen and the Sabres |
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@boosbuzzsabres
According to reports out of Finland, Tampereen Ilves center Arttu Ruotsalainen and the Buffalo Sabres have reached a verbal agreement on a contract. Ruotsalainen is with Team Finland at the IIHF World Championships in Slovakia and it's been said that the two sides will sign an agreement once the tournament is finished.
Ruotsalainen is on the smallish side at a reported 5'8" 181 lbs. and it took him a year to find his stride in SM-liiga, Finland's top pro league, but he broke out this season while leading the Lynx in goals (21) and points (42) which were ninth and T-18th in the league, respectively. He also had seven points (2+5) in seven playoff games.
Word of the agreement between the 21 yr. old Ruotsalainen and the Sabres came from Finnish newspaper Iltalehti and made it's way across the pond early this morning. According to the paper Ruotsalainen is signed with Ilves until 2022 and like the Sabres contract with Russian free agent Victor Antipin two years ago, should he not be on Buffalo's roster, he can return to Finland.
After the trade of Ryan O'Reilly to St. Louis last off season the Sabres had difficulties filling their No. 2 center slot. The hope was that Patrick Berglund, one of the pieces coming back for Buffalo in the trade, would hold the fort until rookie Casey Mittelstadt was ready for that responsibility but Berglund struggled with the Sabres and was relegated to a reserve role before calling it quits and walking away from his contract. Mittelstadt also struggled and an array of forwards/centers tried to fill that role but none could get the job done consistently. Ruotsalainen probably won't address that need right now but he will add depth for the club down the middle.
Buffalo also had one of their prospects skating for Ilves last season. Defenseman Oskari Laaksonen was selected in the third round (89th-overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft by the Sabres and played his first full season in SM-liiga. The 6'2" 165 lb. righthanded defenseman finished seventh on the team in scoring with 24 points in 46 games tying Ruotsalainen for second on the team with 21 assists. Laaksonen is presently signed with the Lynx through 2020/21.
For those like myself who don't know a lot about Ruotsalainen, check out his highlights on Ilves' facebook page. I don't think he used a slapshot on any of his goals and he always seemed to be in the thick of things around the net.
One more quick note for Sabres fans, God help play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret if he has to call a game with Ruotsalainen and present Sabres d-man Rasmus Ristolainen, not to mention Rasmus Dahlin and if he makes the club, Ramsus Asplund.
Oy vey.
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