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Rasmus Ristolainen remains in Sabres' plans despite critical comments
Rasmus Ristolainen may not be very pleased about his current status as a member of the Buffalo Sabres, but it doesn’t appear a change is coming any time soon.
Sabres general manager Jason Botterill addressed the Finnish defenceman’s recent comments, and it sounds like he’s trying to offer him an in-house solution. Ristolainen voiced his frustration toward the Sabres organization earlier this week, where he admitted that the team’s recent struggles have taken a personal toll on him.
“We’re continuing to try to set this team up where we’re putting 'Risto' in positions to have success,” Botterill said to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. “Yeah, he wants to win. We also want to put him in a situation where he plays very well, and that’s what we’ve tried to do with some of the acquisitions, add depth to our defence, add competition to our defence.”
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“I haven't been able to help the team win,” Ristolainen told MTV Sports, translated through Google Translate. “Recent seasons have been tough and I haven't been able to enjoy hockey.”
The blueliner also went on to say that he would be “at one of the NHL team's training camps,” but didn’t specifically state it would be Buffalo’s.
Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger echoed Botterill’s sentiments.
“I'm not going to jump up on every single situation,” Krueger said. “I think the players are in their private spaces right now and they should stay there. I saw Jeff [Skinner] and Casey [Mittelstadt] today and that was an excellent opportunity to speak with them. Otherwise, it's only a few weeks now and we'll all be in the same room. We as coaches are excited to be coaching Rasmus right now.”
Since drafting Ristolainen in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft, the Sabres have yet to qualify for the post-season. The club is hoping the additions of Marcus Johansson, Jimmy Vesey and Colin Miller can help the squad compete for a playoff spot in a competitive Atlantic Division.
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