Instead of trading for someone who's not nhl ready, the sabres should keep Risto because he's almost/is in his prime. Top RHD don't grow on trees. Sabres need to make an immediate impact this year or next and trading Risto away just isn't the answer. Carolina needs to add if they want to do ROR for faulk because Faulk is an UFA.

Boqvist will be that Top Right Handed Defenceman, he's not as good as Risto, but he will suffice

"Not as good as Risto" Then we shouldn't trade risto straight up for him. Boqvist also most likely isn't even NHL ready let alone ready for top pairing minutes.

"iamCrazy". Only your doctor knows. But I don't understand what you're doing. You trade Risto for futures (I think Sabres win the deal) and then you deal the dependable ROR for short term Faulk (Sabres lose deal).

Team PR departments can try to spin prospects as can't-miss top players. None of them are. Ever. You never know. The Caps drafted Ovechkin and I watched the first game, wondering if he would ever score a goal, but grateful that Jeff Halpern and Dainius Zubrus were on his line, so at least someone would be covering back, defensively.

This build is buying into the hype on Boqvist and Mittelstadt. If they've been scouted enough that the team is sure they're better right away than O'Reilly and Mittlestadt then (a) it sounds like a good idea but (b) fire those scouts and get real ones. Prospects take time to develop, and they take more time to adapt to the NHL, and this team will draft first overall again next summer.

Faulk played four minutes less per night than Ristolainen and still came out -25, but with ten fewer points. He's a definite downgrade, just from box cars. Is there a silver lining? I don't have the patience to dig for one.

What about if the Sabres just traded O'Reilly for Boqvist plus, or for Faulk plus, and kept Ristolainen? Either way, they end up better on defense next year than they are either this year, or in the above, and if you build from the net out, then that's a long term way to improve. Especially since Ristolainen is 23 (so, not prime years yet), while faulk is 26 (so, probably doing about his best).

Hockey Enthusiast,

I checked out your old posts, to see if you were an Ottawa fan, because I think trading away their top pick for a rising #1D to either compliment Karlsson or replace him, would be such a huge win for Ottawa, since they don't have their first pick next year and need to win right away to sell tickets.

But you actually have been thinking about this O'Reilly for Faulk business for a while: https://www.capfriendly.com/forums/thread/130754

Except you've got Faulk rated as more valuable than O'Reilly, and I'm just not sure I see why. Anyone want to weigh in on that?

Hockey Enthusiast,

I checked out your old posts, to see if you were an Ottawa fan, because I think trading away their top pick for a rising #1D to either compliment Karlsson or replace him, would be such a huge win for Ottawa, since they don't have their first pick next year and need to win right away to sell tickets.

But you actually have been thinking about this O'Reilly for Faulk business for a while: https://www.capfriendly.com/forums/thread/130754

Except you've got Faulk rated as more valuable than O'Reilly, and I'm just not sure I see why. Anyone want to weigh in on that?