Buffalo Sabres Center Casey Mittelstadt Needs A Jump Start
Buffalo Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt has had some struggles this season finding the scoresheet, but there is a great way to jump start him and his numbers.
It’s no secret that at the beginning of the season, Buffalo Sabres fans were raving about the top end skills that are possessed by Casey Mittelstadt. With the departure of Ryan O’Reilly, the second line center position was up for grabs, and Mittelstadt seized the chance to fill that role. It took him a while to settle in, but he has shown he can play big minutes when needed.
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The issue with Mittelstadt this season has not been his effort or skill, it has been his ability to produce on the scoresheet.
Currently, Mittelstadt sits with 11 points in 42 games played this season. That is good for 9th on the team in scoring. For most of the season he has found himself centering a line featureing Kyle Okposo, who has also struggled to produce at the rate he needs. Having two struggling forwards playing together isn’t usually a great way to get them moving.
Mittelstadt needs a change of line scenery. He needs linemates that compliment his playing style, and once he gets these, he will find his way to the scoresheet consistently.
At the very least, Mittelstadt has shown his worth to the Buffalo Sabres this season with his ridiculous hand skills. He is the Sabres top shootout performer this year, and it’s incredible to watch him undress goalies at will. While this only puts his one-on-one skills as a certainty, he could easily translate those hand skills to the rest of the game if he gets a couple of wingers to help him.
What I am going to suggest is a bit weird, but at the end of the day, the Buffalo Sabres are struggling and need a shake up if they want to stay in the hunt for the playoffs.
Casey Mittelstadt should center a line for Connor Sheary and Jeff Skinner.
While this is bold to suggest splitting up the insane chemistry of Jack Eichel and Skinner, the reality of the situation is this.
Skinner has shown that having Eichel sure helps him score more, but he doesn’t necessarily need Eichel to produce. Putting him alongside Mittelstadt will jumpstart Mittelstadt’s point production, and It will spread out the scoring for the Buffalo Sabres, instead of having all of their guns on the top line. The top line would still have Eichel and Reinhart, but they could add Okposo up there to increase his numbers too. It would be a win-win for the Sabres if it ended up working.
Next. Marco Scandella Needs to Step Up. dark
The Buffalo Sabres play the Devils tomorrow evening. Hopefully coach Housley will shake up the lines a bit to really get the scoring back in order.