The TSN, NHL Network and The Point hockey analyst spoke to Jeremy White Thursday morning
Howard & Jeremy / WGR550.radio.com
We are now starting to enter the quieter part of the NHL offseason. Teams have made their free agent signings, trade activity is slowly starting to simmer down, and teams are now enjoying some off time as they prepare for the 2018-19 season.
However, there is still much reaction to the Buffalo Sabres and their moves in free agency and the trade market. The Ryan O’Reilly trade has gotten plenty of national attention as the Sabres continue to build a new core after finishing 31st in the NHL standings last season.
Mike Kelly of TSN, NHL Network and The Point spoke with Jeremy White on Thursday about the moves the Sabres have made this season, and about the team’s future. Here is some of what he had to say:
On the Ryan O’Reilly trade:
“Whatever the off-ice stuff is, factored into the fact that he is not a Buffalo Sabre anymore. When you think about where this team is headed with Jack Eichel playing down the middle and Casey Mittelstadt coming as well, paying a guy that type of money to be a second or third line center, I suppose you could understand even from the on-ice perspective why they might want to move on.”
On Rasmus Ristolainen:
“He’s a top-four defenseman, he’s just a guy that has been put in a situation that he probably shouldn’t be in. There are no bad players in the NHL, there’s only miscast players, and I think he’s a miscast player.”
On Rasmus Dahlin:
“Honesty, I think he can make a pretty big difference and it’s just because of what he brings to the table. He’s a puck moving defenseman. He’s got some offense ability, he can score, and generate scoring opportunities for his teammates.”
On the future of the team:
“I don’t think it’s this season where this might be a playoff team, but there are going to be a lot of encouraging signs and definitely a team that’s building to the future.”