BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Rasmus Ristolainen has played his last game for the Sabres.
Buffalo dealt the right-handed defenseman to the Philadelphia Flyers for defenseman Robert Hagg, a 2021 first round pick, and a 2023 second round pick.
We have acquired defenseman Robert Hagg, a first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft (14th overall), and a second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft from the @NHLFlyers in exchange for defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) July 23, 2021
Details: https://t.co/GKDEmMC41j pic.twitter.com/WSPZXDHcHa
Ristolainen was taken 8th overall by the Sabres in the 2013 NHL Draft. After splitting time between Buffalo and the Rochester Americans during the 2013-14 season, he became a mainstay on the Sabres' blue line.
In 542 career games with the Sabres, Ristolainen amassed 46 goals and 199 assists. Nearly half of those came when Buffalo had a man advantage; 111 of his career points in the NHL were on the power play.
Ristolainen missed nearly a month of action in 2021 due to COVID-19. When healthy, he had 4 goals and 14 assists in 49 games played. His current contract carries a $5.4 million cap hit and expires in 2022.
The Finnish defenseman has been the subject of trade rumors for years. In eight seasons with Buffalo, he never played in a Stanley Cup Playoff game.
