Projecting a Casey Mittlestadt Trade for the Buffalo Sabres and Other NHL Teams

Joe YerdonFebruary 17, 2024Projecting a Casey Mittlestadt Trade for the Buffalo Sabres and Other NHL Teams 0 of 8

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The Buffalo Sabres are well on the outside of the playoff picture and their top scorer this season, Casey Mittelstadt, is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. That combination of circumstances has caused trade rumors to pop up and catch fire.

Mittelstadt broke out in a big way last season with career highs in goals (15) and points (59) and he’s on pace to beat those numbers again this season. He was drafted in the first round by the Sabres in 2017 and the way he’s improved himself and his game are all reasons to want to keep him a Sabre long-term.

“I think I’ve been pretty clear about (wanting to stay in Buffalo), at least in interviews, and I’ve always enjoyed playing here,” Mittelstadt told Bleacher Report. “I know we’ve had some rocky days, but I believe in this group and what the core is building here, and I feel a lot of loyalty to these guys. And you know what we’ve been through and of course I want to see the other side of it as well.”

Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has made it a point to say he wants players that want to be in Buffalo. He’s also made it clear he’s not shopping Mittelstadt around. But teams are calling and it’s his job to listen to the pitches. Any GM would do the same, but it doesn’t make the idea of trading a 25-year-old who’s found their groove a good idea.

What Are the Options for Sabres and Mittlestadt?1 of 8

Let’s be straight up about this: the best thing Buffalo can do is re-sign Mittelstadt to a multi-year extension, but the financial concerns paired up with the fact the Sabres still have other needs to address throughout their lineup have made trade rumors possible in the first place.

“I think my agent (Neil Sheehy) talked to (Adams) just about what’s the rumors and stuff and what’s going on and that matter,” Mittelstadt said. “It’s all positive, in my opinion, I don’t know how open they are. I’m not able to speak about that. But I feel like (Adams) is not really trying to trade me. I think any GM, if anyone calls, you’re going to listen to what the guy says. It can be on anyone you’re going to listen to them, so I understand that. I guess what Kevyn says and what he said, I’ve seen a few things from my agent that he said and given me no reason not to trust them up to this point.”

If the Sabres do move Mittelstadt, they have to absolutely get it right and get what they absolutely need to make it worth their while. If Buffalo decides the best way to get better is to trade Mittelstadt, we’re going to take a look at a few teams where a deal could make sense for everyone. Well, as close to as much sense as can be had anyway.

Columbus Blue Jackets2 of 8

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If the Sabres were to trade Mittelstadt, finding a perfect partner for either Rasmus Dahlin or Owen Power would be one of the few ways to ensure you’d get Adams’ attention. That’s where the Blue Jackets could enter the conversation.

We’ve watched all season long how top prospect defenseman David Jiricek has been bounced between the NHL and AHL and had his minutes fluctuate wildly when he was in Columbus. Jiricek feels he belongs in the NHL and he’s almost certainly correct about that, but the Blue Jackets are doing things their way.

Columbus could also use more stability at center and Mittelstadt would certainly thrive there. The dots are easy to connect to come up with a trade on paper, but for the Jackets to part with Jiricek it would likely take quite a bit more to make that happen. But this is a situation where each team conceivably has something the other would covet greatly.

However, after the Jackets fired GM Jarmo Kekäläinen this week, any monster move like that isn’t going to happen until a new general manager is in place and even then, a new set of eyes might see what’s gone on with Jiricek and start asking what in the world they were doing with him in the first place and why they were doing it to begin with.

Calgary Flames3 of 8

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Chances are if you’ve seen or heard any seemingly real rumor about Casey Mittelstadt, the Calgary Flames were mentioned.

Andrew Peters and Craig Rivet mentioned on their podcast a lot of things regarding Mittelstadt and how he was being shopped by the Sabres only to have GM Kevyn Adams essentially say it was all nonsense on WGR radio in Buffalo.

The idea the two former Sabres players kicked around was Mittelstadt for Mackenzie Weegar and Nazem Kadri, which on a video game would be a super idea and easily accomplished. In reality, however, a deal like that would double the amount of money the Sabres would spend and while it would mean adding two veteran players (something the Sabres’ still very young roster could use), those players are on the wrong side of 30 with a lot of years left on their contracts.

However, if instead of Weegar the defenseman was Rasmus Andersson and rather than Kadri the forward was Andrew Mangiapane…well, that’d be a much more interesting discussion to have if you’re Buffalo, no? That kind of discussion might not even keep Flames GM Craig Conroy on the phone for more than five seconds, however.

But if we’re going to throw stuff at the wall to scheme up a trade idea, let’s at least make it a little spicier than taking two long-term, big-money contracts to players over 30 and trading them for a 25-year-old soon-to-be RFA.

Minnesota Wild4 of 8

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Consider this a token mention.

Mittelstadt is as Minnesota as any player in the NHL can be. He’s from Eden Prairie. He was Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey as the state’s best high school player in 2017 and he went to the University of Minnesota to play for the Golden Gophers. If we’re going to talk about any kind of idea of trading Casey Mittelstadt, we have to mention the Minnesota Wild.

There’s a problem, however: The Wild might not have all the players needed to bring Casey home.

The Wild don’t have a top defenseman to spare nor one they’d give up. Brock Faber isn’t going anywhere, sorry Sabres fans. Forward Ryan Hartman would likely tickle Buffalo’s fancy, but he’s got a full no-move clause. The Wild have prospects they could use to entice, but Buffalo’s already got a horde of their own they might have to use to make other deals to improve the team.

If these two were to make a deal, it would be very complicated, but with how Minnesotan Mittelstadt is, they’d at least have to make a call to find out what it would take.

Colorado Avalanche5 of 8

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The Sabres and Avalanche couldn’t be in more different spots right now, but if the Avs were looking for a center to slide in behind Nathan MacKinnon in the lineup, Casey Mittelstadt would be a fascinating possibility. All it would cost Colorado is one of their top defensemen, too.

Wait, that made it sound like it would be really easy. No, no it would not be that simple.

Would Colorado part ways with Bowen Byram for Mittelstadt? Or Samuel Girard? Maybe Josh Manson? You’ve got to give to get, but the Avs are in a wicked battle with Dallas and Winnipeg atop the Central Division and aiming to have a battle and a half in the Western Conference playoffs. Giving up one of those players now would be a very hard sell. At the draft though? Different story, perhaps.

That said, there are parts here that could work but it would be a matter of seeing who blinks first. What we know about Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland isn’t too clear yet when it comes to trades (he was hired in 2022 after the Avs won the Cup), but Sabres GM Kevyn Adams can’t be bullied into making a trade he isn’t comfortable with (see the Jack Eichel deal for instance).

Anaheim Ducks6 of 8

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What we’ve gotten to know about Ducks GM Pat Verbeek since he took over the job is that he works quietly and seems to be as tough an executive as he was a player.

The Ducks are likely going to make some deals ahead of the trade deadline this year (Adam Henrique and Ilya Lyubushkin are prime targets) and Anaheim is building quite the stockpile of young talent, a few of whom are already in the NHL and looking promising (Leo Carlsson, Pavel Mintyukov). Anaheim replacing Henrique with Casey Mittelstadt would make some kind of sense, but what could the Ducks offer Buffalo that would bring them in?

Unfortunately, a lot of the Ducks’ best pieces to make a Mittelstadt deal would be young prospects with high upside. Defenseman Noah Warren, for instance, would be attractive to Buffalo, but he’s 19 years old and as the Sabres have learned, young defensemen take time to acclimate to NHL life. A veteran like Radko Gudas would provide all the snarl the Sabres would want on the blue line, but if they wanted him, they could’ve signed him last summer as a free agent.

Perhaps there’s not a match to be made here, but you’d think with Buffalo being in a somewhat desperate position to end their playoff drought and Anaheim on the rise some circuits could connect along the way.

Vegas Golden Knights7 of 8

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The Sabres and Golden Knights already made trade magic once by pulling off a blockbuster trade in which both sides got exactly what they wanted. Vegas got a No. 1 center in Jack Eichel and a Stanley Cup and Buffalo gave up on Eichel to add Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs and draft picks to alter how they built the roster.

Would these two sides come together again for Casey Mittelstadt? There are reasons to think they could put something together.

Vegas has defensemen that would interest Buffalo (Zach Whitecloud for example) and perhaps also a connection with a forward as well if Vegas were willing to part with one to make room for Mittelstadt.

Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon and owner Bill Foley fear no trades and will do whatever it takes to make sure they win. A player like Mittelstadt would certainly do well in Vegas, but they’re already working with a championship group. It would take some kind of playoff blowup for them to even consider making a deal.

Nashville Predators8 of 8

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If the Predators have a weakness at any one position, center stands out. Ryan O’Reilly is superb. Cody Glass has been very good as well. But they’re lacking on higher-end ability up the middle and Casey Mittelstadt would give them an immediate upgrade at the position.

What could the Preds use to help bring Buffalo to the table? Soon-to-be RFA defenseman Dante Fabbro would be an intriguing player given he plays the right side and he’s the same age as Mittelstadt. Fabbro would give Buffalo’s defense an upgrade the same way Mittelstadt would Nashville’s forward group.

Given GM Barry Trotz is on the lookout for offensive players, Mittelstadt fits that bill and with the way he’s adapted his game in recent years, he’d be an ideal fit into what the Predators are classically all about. It’s an interesting idea to ponder at least, but it’s another situation where each team could meet the other’s needs almost directly head-on.