The Sabres intend to address their leaky defense and to better manage Ristolainen's minutes next season, Sportsnet reports.

EDGE Analysis

Former head coach Dan Bylsma promised to lighten Ristolainen's load this past season, but had to eat his words after the Sabres' blue line was decimated by injuries and poor play. The 22-year-old played a career-high 26:28 per game this season, and also scored a career-high 39 assists and 45 points this season, but if the Sabres want to build a competitive team with long-term success, they'll need to surround him with quality players. The free agent market isn't very good this season, but the Sabres have a potential trade chip in Evander Kane. Whatever the scenario, it's unlikely the Sabres will drastically reduce Ristolainen's role, which means he remains a potential top-20 fantasy defenseman for the 2017-18 season.