Quoting: mhockey91
I think he stinks. But you’re right his perceived value is high. That’s why I said this trade is possible. Vegas would lose, but bad trades happen all the time
An old school minded GM might value Ristolainen higher than most, but if it's a new school minded GM that loves to incorpotate analytics into the mix, Ristolainen won't have as much value to them.
Calgary's analytics guy strongly reccomended against a Ristolainen deal a couple years ago, and I can imagine many GM's and scouts have the same approach to him.
The problem with Ristolainen right now is that there isn't a trade partner out there with a need for RHD, and with a decent surplus of centers or RW's, that also hurts his value. The only team that makes sense right now in the league is Nashville IMO, and even then, I think you're talking Johansen in a deal for Ristolainen, you're talking Bonino as a centerpeice or young players and prospects.
The other issue is that there's a surplus of defenseman on the open market right now that could be had in trade, Minnesota has a couple that are tradable with Dumba and Brodin. Maybe you call Philly about Ghost. Jeff Petry could be had, and maybe if you pay enough, you can have Josh Manson or Brady Skeji, although less likely. Then in free agency, you have a lot of options as well.
So i'm thinking the value and return for Risto in this current market will be more underwhelming than what the Sabres think. And dont forget, Jason Botterill has already tried a million times to move Risto for that top 6 center or even winger. You know why it hasn't happend? Because he's not worth that straight up