Respected Buffalo Sabres analyst endorses Mittelstadt to sub for Quinn

The Buffalo Sabres have quite the mystery on their hands over who should or will substitute for Jack Quinn for perhaps the first half of the season.

When I first titled this article, I used the word ‘replace.’ But replace sounded too permanent, and Buffalo Sabres winger Jack Quinn isn’t missing the entire season barring some unforeseen setback. Therefore, substitute, or ‘sub,’ is a more appropriate option.

And recently, Paul Hamilton of WGRZ gave his two cents over who should ultimately sub for Quinn while the latter recovers from a torn Achilles. After initially talking about Lukas Rousek, Hamilton later talked up and went with Casey Mittelstadt, which you can see in the following quote:

“I still think Rousek would work well there, but I’ve changed my mind. After watching Casey Mittelstadt rip things up while filling in for Tage Thompson, I think he’d be the best choice to play with Cozens and Peterka.”  – via WGRZ

Source: Hamilton Take 2: The impact of Jack Quinn’s injury for the Sabres by Paul Hamilton, WGRZ

Casey Mittelstadt should be the Buffalo Sabres frontrunner

The former eighth overall pick put up 59 points and 15 goals in what was a surprising 2022-23 campaign. When on the first line late last year, Mittelstadt also proved he could fit in playing alongside multiple players. There were no chemistry issues, and no drop-off in play when Tage went down with an injury and Mittelstadt stepped in.

While Hamilton, like myself, believes Mittelstadt should be the top choice here, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Mittelstadt also needs to earn the job in camp over his competition, which should include prospects like Rousek, Matt Savoie, and Jiri Kulich, along with current players like Victor Olofsson if the Sabres opt not to trade him by or during camp.

One reason Mittelstadt needs to earn the rights to the top six is that, despite his remarkable turnaround last season, he is still, for all intents, a one-year wonder. Therefore, he must show in camp and in the preseason that what he did last year was no fluke, and that he will maintain his high-octane level of production for the long haul.

If Mittelstadt isn’t the best out of those I mentioned above, then he reverts to the third line and likely centers Jordan Greenway and Tyson Jost, or perhaps a prospect like Rousek or Kulich if the returning Jost instead becomes an extra skater. Overall, it should be Mittelstadt’s job to lose heading into camp, so the question is, can he maintain it?

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)