3 reasons why trading Casey Mittelstadt would still make no sense for the Sabres
Casey Mittelstadt has been one of the most productive members of the Sabres over the past two seasons, and he is not under a long-term contract.
Since Casey Mittelstadt is not under a long-term contract with the Sabres, and thanks to his productivity, it’s easy to see why he’s the subject of trade rumors. And while the Sabres most likely aren’t landing a playoff spot, it makes sense for them to sell at the deadline, so naturally, since Mittelstadt is their greatest asset, he would likely bring in sound compensation.
However, this doesn’t mean it makes sense to move the 25-year-old, even if players like Erik Johnson, Victor Olofsson, and Zemgus Girgensons could go elsewhere with little if any criticism from the fan base. But if Mittelstadt garners a high draft pick and even a few more prospects, why not move him?
Clearly, it seems as though the current system in place hasn’t worked in the Sabres favor, given their meager 48 points this season. While you can make a compelling case to move the former first-round pick, the bad outweighs the good when you dig deeper.
The Sabres have enough prospects and draft picks, and they don’t need more
The Blue and Gold’s prospect pool is still among the NHL’s best, and thanks to a few strong drafts courtesy of general manager Kevyn Adams, it’s only going to get stronger as many of them won’t be full-time Sabres. So why trade for another first, or even a second-round pick, plus more high-end prospects for Mittelstadt?
Such an approach is only going to overflow the already jam-packed pool full of one too many prospects and picks, which makes Mittelstadt much more valuable to a young team like the Sabres. It would make far more sense if Buffalo moved Mittelstadt to somewhere that offered them at least one seasoned veteran, but there is no logic in that if we’re talking about trading with a contender.
Overall, Mittelstadt just wouldn’t bring in a desired return at the present moment. It would be one thing if he were in his late-twenties and the Sabres were tearing down the current lineup to build a barren prospects pool, but that’s far from the case.
Just because the Sabres have a bad record, it doesn’t mean they’re a bad team
Every year, you get at least one good, or rising team with a bad record, and the Sabres have been the unlucky franchise this season. In such a situation, it makes little sense to sell off younger talent in line for a long-term contract extension, or at least a rather lucrative bridge contract.
The Sabres have a bad record not because they are a bad team, but because they have constantly refused to let the game come to them. We have constantly seen this occur in the offensive zone when they have forced too many passes and botched countless power play opportunities.
Once this team learns to take what opponents give them in terms of passing and shooting lanes, they won’t struggle offensively the way they did this season. Taking one of the few players who posted solid numbers this year and often seems to know where to go with the puck in the offensive zone won’t help this team next season.
In a best-case scenario, it opens a spot in the lineup for a prospect to potentially thrive. But then again, we don’t know if someone like Jiri Kulich or Noah Ostlund (Kulich this season) would fare so well in the NHL, or reach Mittelstadt’s level.
However, we know what Mittelstadt brings, and we also know the Sabres are a better team with him, even if the record shows otherwise. So when you’re a good team with a bad record, you don’t sell young, established talent; instead, you trade away the older talent with only another year or two to give.
The Sabres can afford to keep a youngster like Mittelstadt around
Per Cap-Friendly, the Sabres still have more than enough cap space to extend Mittelstadt, even if such an extension isn’t long-term. With such a high amount of cap space to go with a rising salary cap, the only logical thing the Sabres can do right now unless they get a mind-blowing deal that includes established talent mentioned previously is to sign Mittelstadt to an extension.
Again, this doesn’t need to be a seven-year deal, as has been the case with other forwards plus a few defensemen. They can get away with a bridge, then sign Mittelstadt long-term sometime around the 2027-28 season, or if they just gave him a two-year deal, the 2026-27 season.
Plus, Mittelstadt also won’t take up a roster spot that could go to a prospect like Kulich, as Victor Olofsson, Zemgus Girgensons, and Kyle Okposo, at minimum, will likely end up somewhere else either through a trade or via free agency should other teams reach out to them.
This will help alleviate some of that crowded prospects pool and allow the Sabres to keep Mittelstadt around. It also won’t hamper inevitable extensions for players like Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka, as their respective contracts expire following the 2024-25 season, allowing the Sabres to keep their incumbent core.
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