Rasmus Ristolainen is confident things will fall into place after the World Cup and he’s back at Sabres training camp.
The Sabres’ last unsigned restricted free agent said he isn’t worried about a deal happening when he spoke to reporters at Media Day at Air Canada Centre. Right now, he’s focused on playing for Team Finland.
“I don’t worry about it. For now, I’m 100 percent here for Team Finland,” said Ristolainen.
After playing out his entry-level contract, Ristolainen’s next deal will likely be in the range of 5 or 6 years at around $5-$6 million per year.
“It doesn’t bother me, but on the other hand I’m not happy it’s this long too. I still trust that we will make that contract happen. I like Buffalo. I want to be there as long as I can and I feel they feel the same way about me. I trust it’s going to be taken care of.” – Rasmus Ristolainen
As he did for Buffalo last year, Ristolainen, is logging huge minutes for Team Finland. He’s averaging over 24 minutes per game over his team’s first three games.
“It’s actually felt pretty easy in these exhibition games. I’ve worked hard all summer. I feel like I’m in great shape and can handle those minutes.”