Buffalo Sabres: Breaking down Granato’s statements on Mittelstadt
By Sion Fawkes
Don Granato will find himself in the driver’s seat to navigate the Buffalo Sabres for some time, and Casey Mittelstadt will be on the roster.
It is no secret that Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato is a big believer in former first round pick, Casey Mittelstadt. He has recently given Mittelstadt the opportunity to play alongside Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch on the first line. All of this despite the former eighth overall pick’s struggles since he entered the league.
On Monday, Granato attributed Mittelstadt’s struggles to playing alongside more marginal players as opposed to stars. Instead of seeing extended time on the Thompson line, Mittelstadt’s regular line mates have been, at various times, Victor Olofsson, Tyson Jost, Vinnie Hinostroza, Rasmus Asplund, and Peyton Krebs.
None of the above are regular scorers. Further, he often sees time with the third defensive pairing at his back, which could account for his (-12) in the plus/minus category, the worst among Buffalo Sabres forwards and the second-worst on the team in front of only Jacob Bryson (-15).
Buffalo Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt not playing around enough talent?
It’s no secret Olofsson has struggled, that Hinostroza is a part-time player, and that it has taken Krebs time to get going. But that also shouldn’t excuse Mittelstadt’s lack of productivity. In fact, a player drafted in the top ten should be elevating that talent, not falling in line with it.
Mittelstadt has elevated no one’s talent on the lower lines, as Dylan Cozens has on the Kid Line. For me personally, and I’m sure many of you think the same, Granato has once again reverted to making excuses for Mittelstadt.
The center looked like he was turning the corner in winning faceoffs, but that number has since dropped to under 50%, and second on the team, with Dylan Cozens having taken the lead in the category. It’s great to see that Mittelstadt has 10 power play points, But he only has five at even strength. In 28 games, might I add.
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While it’s true Mittelstadt is playing with lesser talent around him, he has done nothing but flop along with them. There have been times this season where he’s played better than we thought he would. But recently, he has reverted back into the same old Casey Mittelstadt. We will wait and see if he takes advantage of this latest opportunity, but I’m not holding my breath.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)
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