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3 most burning questions for the Buffalo Sabres heading into 2022-23

By Sion Fawkes

Apr 11, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Sabres winger Casey Mittelstadt (37) and defenseman Jacob Bryson (78) celebrate a goal in the third period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 11, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Sabres winger Casey Mittelstadt (37) and defenseman Jacob Bryson (78) celebrate a goal in the third period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 8, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Jeff Carter (77) and Buffalo Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt (37) talk before a face-off during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. The Pens won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Will Casey Mittlestadt finally live up to his draft status?

If I said it once, I’ve said it a million times: Casey Mittelstadt is running out of chances with the Buffalo Sabres. For that, I applaud Mike Zeisberger for bringing this one up, and he even shared Mittelstadt’s career statistics to provide a deeper look as to how bad it has been for the star-crossed center.

Here are his career statistics: 195 games, 33 goals, 47 assists, 80 points, 11.0 shooting percentage, 44.5 FOW%. Not quite what you want from a former eighth overall pick. Want more fun? Mittelstadt has averaged more than 0.5 points per game just once in his career minus his five points in six-games cameo in 2017-18.

The good news is that 13 of those points came in his final 20 games of the season, so he at least played better than he did in the first 20, in which he scored only six. Not that this will be a breakthrough for Mittelstadt, but it shows that if he can stay healthy for long stretches, he can become an effective player.

More. Will Riley Sheahan shake up the roster?. light

He remains part of the Buffalo Sabres organization, so clearly, head coach Don Granato and general manager Kevyn Adams believe he can play like the eighth overall pick the franchise thought they were getting. But you also cannot help but wonder whether this will be the make-it-or-break-it season.

Article Source: Three questions facing Buffalo Sabres by Mike Zeisberger

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)

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