Buffalo Sabres: Patience with Casey Mittelstadt paying off
Though many still regard him as a bust, Buffalo Sabres forward Casey Mittelstadt continues to quietly put together a solid campaign.
In the Buffalo Sabres shutout win over the New York Islanders, forward Casey Mittelstadt quietly put together yet another solid game. It seemed as though it didn’t matter who he skated against, he was winning battle after battle. You saw this with Scott Mayfield more than anyone else.
Of the team’s nine takeaways, Mittelstadt logged three of them, giving him 45 on the season. And while it’s clear Mittelstadt will likely never live to his billing as a former eighth overall pick, it’s becoming clearer that he will be a pivotal part of the Sabres moving forward.
He is also enjoying the best season of his career, with 43 points, 10 goals, and 33 assists in 72 contests. While his 43 pales in comparison to Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Dylan Cozens, and Jeff Skinner, Mittelstadt still shattered his previous career high of just 25, which he scored back in 2018-19.
That season, Mittelstadt also scored his career high in goals, with 12. While it’s still to be seen whether he ties or breaks that milestone in 2023, it is clear that Mittelstadt, barring anything unforeseen, could see even greater productivity in 2023-24 as the Blue and Gold continues to build chemistry.
Mittelstadt will play an integral role with the Buffalo Sabres in 2023-24
Going into the season, Mittelstadt looked like the odd-man-out if you were to make a way, way too early lineup projection for 2023-24. In the Sabres three games, he logged eight giveaways (28 in his 69 games since), and too often, he ended games with nothing but zeros on the stat sheet.
These days, Victor Olofsson, Kyle Okposo, and Zemgus Girgensons look like the odd-men-out. With Olofsson and Okposo being the top two candidates to suit up elsewhere, though it would surprise no one if Okposo calls it a career.
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Overall, Mittelstadt hasn’t necessarily broken out this season, but he’s turning into a serviceable, gritty player. The type of player you look for on the third line. And if he keeps this up in the final ten contests, you will see him back in the Queen City.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)
Source: Observations: Patience pays off for Sabres with Kyle Okposo’s game-winner vs. Isles by Lance Lysowski, BuffaloNews.com