There have been conflicting reports over the past several months about Buffalo’s plans for Rasmus Ristolainen. At times, it appears he has been available while at others, the Sabres have appeared to be inclined to keep him. Now, TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that the team is indeed trying to move the blueliner but that there have been no takers so far.

Presumably, it’s not that there hasn’t been interest in him but rather there hasn’t been a team that’s willing to pay Buffalo’s asking price just yet. Ristolainen is certainly prone to some untimely mistakes in his own end but he’s still a strong skater and offensive threat and as a right-hand shot, he plays the side that many teams are coveting.

What also will make Ristolainen appealing is his contract. He has three years left on his deal with a $5.4MM AAV. That type of money is typical for someone on the second pairing but the Sabres have been using the 24-year-old on the top pairing for the majority of his time with Buffalo. While moving someone like that out is certainly risky, they have high hopes for Brandon Montour (acquired near the trade deadline) and likely believe that he’s capable of taking on a larger workload.

The free agent market for impact right-shot defenders was pretty thin to begin with and took a big hit when Erik Karlsson re-signed in San Jose. P.K. Subban was a player of note on the trade market but he has since been moved as well. While Tyler Myers is still slated to become a free agent, Ristolainen still sits atop the list of available right-shot defenders.

With next year’s salary cap now set at $81.5MM and teams now knowing what they can now spend, it’s probable that interest in Ristolainen will pick up. The next few days will be spent wooing potential free agents during the interview period but if teams don’t think they’ll have a shot at Myers (who can be acquired without giving up an asset), they’ll likely circle back to Buffalo at that time and may be willing to up their offers accordingly. We’ll find out soon enough if it will be enough for Sabres GM Jason Botterill to part with Ristolainen.