And I have said that Risto is a very good 2nd pairing guy and could play 1st pairing if in the right pairing and game. People dog on him because they think 5.4M AAV is a ton. It's not. He's the 43rd highest paid D man in the league but scores at the 23rd highest for a D man in the NHL. I'm not saying he is only an offensive D man either because he is very punishing and does over 225 hits a year. Does that take him out of position sometimes... absolutely. But it is very easy to sit on your couch and watch a replay and say "Oh that's stupid.. I would have made a better decision than that in my beer league."
- JVince11

hits stopped being good defense like 10 years ago. He's terrible in his own end and for it to even out he'd have to be something like top 15 in D scoring and some of those points would have to come from somewhere that wasn't the powerplay.

And I have said that Risto is a very good 2nd pairing guy and could play 1st pairing if in the right pairing and game. People dog on him because they think 5.4M AAV is a ton. It's not. He's the 43rd highest paid D man in the league but scores at the 23rd highest for a D man in the NHL. I'm not saying he is only an offensive D man either because he is very punishing and does over 225 hits a year. Does that take him out of position sometimes... absolutely. But it is very easy to sit on your couch and watch a replay and say "Oh that's stupid.. I would have made a better decision than that in my beer league."
- JVince11

maybe ralph can get more out of him...Bylsma was obstinate with his systems and Housley was a dolt...how anyone can perform in situations like that are beyond me

You absolutely can like Simmonds and hate Callahan.

One can play hockey at a relatively high level the other, not so much.

I’m sorry but as far as on ice play is concerned, Callahan offers this team zero.
- dadeadhead

except for what I expressed in the post. Simmonds and Cally offer, at this stage, about the same 5v5 points. However, Simmonds will provide a lot more on the PP. If you're taking in either player, it's for bottom 6 and/or 4th line roles and for leadership.

hits stopped being good defense like 10 years ago. He's terrible in his own end and for it to even out he'd have to be something like top 15 in D scoring and some of those points would have to come from somewhere that wasn't the powerplay.
- Sabresfan-365

hits are still legit...we're seeing it in the scf

maybe ralph can get more out of him...Bylsma was obstinate with his systems and Housley was a dolt...how anyone can perform in situations like that are beyond me
- Michael Pachla

Dahlin, Eichel, Reinhart, Skinner all performed. I wonder if those four have something in common...

So EK says we are signing Skinner to trade him for Hall, next year. Classic.
- SABRES 89

Yeah...

yeeeaaahh........

O'Regan. Sure, why not resign him for Rochester. More importantly, SIGN SKINNER!

hits are still legit...we're seeing it in the scf
- Michael Pachla

Hit's aren't important in getting to the playoffs

But they sure as hell are important once you're in a deep playoff run

You think Mark Stone is better than Taylor Hall??


- JVince11

He is better than Taylor Hall. Sorry.

Offensively, Hall has the higher ceiling. Other than that, if I had the choice for Stone at 24 or Hall at 24, same price, I take Stone.

Dahlin, Eichel, Reinhart, Skinner all performed. I wonder if those four have something in common...
- Sabresfan-365

They're all very skilled?

I still say the biggest down fall of Housley was his d-zone coverage followed by his player usage at the wrong times

He played man to man in the D zone and any skilled forward would see this and take advantage of it.

Then he trotted out the same 4th line after scoring a goal

maybe ralph can get more out of him...Bylsma was obstinate with his systems and Housley was a dolt...how anyone can perform in situations like that are beyond me
- Michael Pachla

I watched his first presser yesterday. I was impressed by what I heard. Obviously an intelligent man who understands motivation, teamwork and leadership. The question is, are the pupils in the classroom willing to listen and learn from the teacher? Bylsma and Housley would say "no".

maybe ralph can get more out of him...Bylsma was obstinate with his systems and Housley was a dolt...how anyone can perform in situations like that are beyond me
- Michael Pachla

Just play him 60-65% ozone starts like Karlsson. Points go up, +/- gets better. Both of those coaches somehow couldn't realize that although Risto is big and tuff, he's also an offensive defenseman, not a shutdown guy.

I imagine that the analytics staff just sent the coaches the same email every week, and said "stop playing him the defensive zone"

And I have said that Risto is a very good 2nd pairing guy and could play 1st pairing if in the right pairing and game. People dog on him because they think 5.4M AAV is a ton. It's not. He's the 43rd highest paid D man in the league but scores at the 23rd highest for a D man in the NHL. I'm not saying he is only an offensive D man either because he is very punishing and does over 225 hits a year. Does that take him out of position sometimes... absolutely. But it is very easy to sit on your couch and watch a replay and say "Oh that's stupid.. I would have made a better decision than that in my beer league."
- JVince11

I encourage you to reed this.

https://www.diebytheblade...astically-change-his-role

If you're not going to read it because you think situational analytics are for the (frank)ing birds, then so be it. But refusing the information and proof that he is most certainly not, today, a top pairing dman is flat out ignorance.

maybe ralph can get more out of him...Bylsma was obstinate with his systems and Housley was a dolt...how anyone can perform in situations like that are beyond me
- Michael Pachla

Rsito's 6th coach? Anyone really expecting a fundamental change in what appears to be a very stubborn player?

hits are still legit...we're seeing it in the scf
- Michael Pachla

They keep fans entertained. They are an outdated way to identify defensive talent. Nobody looks back on cup winners and says they won cause they hit their way there.

Sure toughness/taking hits is valuable (same with composure). But stick positioning and quick transition does more for your defense than chasing some fourth liner around to lay a big hit for what he did 2 periods ago.

hits stopped being good defense like 10 years ago. He's terrible in his own end and for it to even out he'd have to be something like top 15 in D scoring and some of those points would have to come from somewhere that wasn't the powerplay.
- Sabresfan-365

The whipping boy duties of the summer of 2019.

Rsito's 6th coach? Anyone really expecting a fundamental change in what appears to be a very stubborn player?
- Lunaion

he doesn't have to necessarily be stubborn. He could just be dumb... er.. low hockey IQ. Eye tests and data show that he can't transition the puck. Because he fumbles around and throws it away way too often. He also gets owned by top line talent and usually second line talent.

I watched his first presser yesterday. I was impressed by what I heard. Obviously an intelligent man who understands motivation, teamwork and leadership. The question is, are the pupils in the classroom willing to listen and learn from the teacher? Bylsma and Housley would say "no".
- SabreWest

Two differences, imo, it sounds like Krueger's style is less dictatorial and more cooperative. He's going to listen to the players and try to play to their strengths. Also, Housley had no idea what he was doing, and Bylsma's system sucked. I have no idea if Krueger will be better, but he's different.

They keep fans entertained. They are an outdated way to identify defensive talent. Nobody looks back on cup winners and says they won cause they hit their way there.

Sure toughness/taking hits is valuable (same with composure). But stick positioning and quick transition does more for your defense than chasing some fourth liner around to lay a big hit for what he did 2 periods ago.
- Sabresfan-365

I believe it's a common misconception that playing tough and being tough to play against are the same thing as running around and hitting everything that moves

hits stopped being good defense like 10 years ago. He's terrible in his own end and for it to even out he'd have to be something like top 15 in D scoring and some of those points would have to come from somewhere that wasn't the powerplay.
- Sabresfan-365

Brent. Burns.

?


Yep.

hits are still legit...we're seeing it in the scf
- Michael Pachla

They're nice, but they're not defense.

The whipping boy duties of the summer of 2019.
- JVince11

This is an excellent and well thought out point. I am convinced, Ristolainen will lead us to the promise land.

Brent. Burns.

?


Yep.
- TheSabresTaco

If Risto starts putting up 60 points per season nobody would care about how bad he is in his own zone or even his terrible +/-

Dahlin, Eichel, Reinhart, Skinner all performed. I wonder if those four have something in common...
- Sabresfan-365

sure they did...

Eichel performed like the franchise player he was drafted to be at No. 2-overall
Reinhart finally performed like a player close to being worthy of a second-overall pick
Skinner performed like the veteran 7th-overall player that he was
Dahlin showed immense promise as a 18 yr. old franchise defenseman selected first-overall

Ristolainen scored one less point than Dahlin

They're nice, but they're not defense.
- TheSabresTaco

Counterpoint: