Buffalo Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt returns to action at home against the Colorado Avalanche at 1pm today.
After seemingly aggravating an upper body injury, Buffalo Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt isn’t just ready to go; don’t be surprised if he plays in both Saturday’s affair against the Avalanche and in the following game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
But with so many young stars emerging in Buffalo and a first line built for both the present and future, where does Mittelstadt belong in the pecking order? Clearly, he’s returning well behind the eight-ball.
Where does the Buffalo Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt fit?
During recent practices, Mittelstadt partnered with Kyle Okposo and Rasmus Asplund, serving as the line’s center. Regardless of his career production, Mittelstadt’s presence is huge for the Sabres, as he becomes the team’s fourth young center to suit up, following Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens, and Peyton Krebs, which potentially sets the team up at the position long-term.
Mittelstadt’s performance, despite playing in just a handful of games in 2021-22, has paled compared to Thompson’s, Cozens’, and Krebs’. This indicates he, at best, is best suited for the third or even the fourth line.
However, head coach Don Granato thinks differently. Given the Sabres struggles on the first line in their 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, he hasn’t shied away from indicating he’s still willing to mix and match the lineups.
Here’s what Granato said:
"“We keep referring to the Thompson line and I’m not sold we have three guys that have to stay together.”"
Mittelstadt, drafted eight overall in 2017, also possesses a desirable skill-set for Granato’s system. The system favors puck control and speed, and Mittelstadt checks both boxes. Ultimately, it comes down to performance. If Mittelstadt shows more production than he has throughout his career, he may prove to be a long-term fit.
So far, he has never recorded over 25 points in a single season, which occurred during the 2018-19 season throughout 77 appearances. If he can stay healthy, Mittelstadt has 33 games to remove a potential Draft Bust label. The Morning Puck has projected Mitteldstadt’s line as the third behind the Thompson and Cozen lines.
(All statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)