3 Sabres players who must step up following Casey Mittelstadt trade
The Buffalo Sabres traded Casey Mittelstadt on Wednesday, and they got an intriguing defenseman. But that also means someone must fill the void Mittelstadt left.
The Buffalo Sabres made headlines Wednesday when they traded Casey Mittelstadt to the Colorado Avalanche two days before the NHL trade deadline. This means Buffalo has lost its best player in the offensive zone this season, but with his pending RFA status that includes arbitration and the fact he’s only enjoyed a stellar season-and-a-half throughout his career, it’s also easy to see why Adams moved him near the deadline.
Buffalo also landed an intriguing defenseman who can help them win games immediately, so this wasn’t a traditional “sale” around the deadline to the same extent that other teams not looking to contend would make. However, thanks to Mittelstadt’s effective play over the last year-and-a-half, it opens a void among the forwards as someone must step up and play better hockey when the Blue and Gold find themselves in the offensive zone.
Plenty of Sabres forwards must step up now that Mittelstadt is gone
Tage Thompson, Jeff Skinner, and Alex Tuch are the obvious answers here, and none of them are even remotely on pace to match their productivity from last season. Skinner has just 40 points in 55 games, while Tuch has 40 in 56, and Tage is struggling with 35 in 53.
But, let’s be fair, as each of the Sabres top scorers from a year ago have all found themselves sidelined at least once with injuries this season. This hampered their chemistry in 2023-24, and such luck always sets the stage for a harsh campaign.
However, there are three other forwards who could have bright futures as prolific scorers on this team if they step up and improve their respective games in the offensive zone. One of the three players listed is already locked into a long-term extension, so ideally, they will start playing the way they did last season. The other two on this list have contributed well defensively, but they have too much potential to allow their offense to go to waste.
Dylan Cozens can once again show he’s a leading scorer in Buffalo
Now that Mittelstadt’s gone, Dylan Cozens is tied for fourth on the team in points with 38 in 60 contests. He’s also sixth in goals with 14, but we expected way more from the offensive zone than he’s given us, as his 38 points equates to just 0.63 per game, nearly 0.21 points fewer than what we saw last season.
As in 2022-23, Cozens is logging plenty of shots on goal, and he’s averaging well over two per game this year. But only 9.3 percent of those have found the back of the net, and it’s been beyond disappointing. This isn’t to say Cozens has struggled with his shot selection, but it’s more of an inaccurate shot, even from near the crease.
He and his linemates have been creating opportunities better now than he has during his entire career at even strength and 5-on-5, given his career-best in the Corsi in both situations. If Cozens simply improves his overall shot, he will better resemble that player who scored 31 goals last year.
Time for Peyton Krebs to find the net more often
Few young Sabres skaters have established themselves as effective defensive forwards more than Peyton Krebs has over the past two seasons. He’s been a sensational fourth-liner regardless of who his linemates are, and it’s one reason opponents have such a tough time playing against him when they take the puck into the offensive zone.
He has only 11 takeaways and 21 blocked shots, so Krebs is that player who will skate through an opponent to keep pucks from reaching the net. He’s been solid at making plays happen offensively, logging a 53.6 Corsi For Percentage at 5-on-5, even with over 50 percent of all of his starts occurring in the defensive zone, but it hasn’t translated into many goals.
Krebs has just 12 points, finding the net just three times in 61 contests. As a former first-round pick who the Sabres acquired in the Jack Eichel trade, we definitely want to see more productivity from Krebs in the offensive zone, especially now that he is in his third season with the team.
If there is any good news, it’s that Mittelstadt also had a tough time finding his game in the offensive zone during those first few seasons in Buffalo, and he had since broken out and became one of the team’s best scorers. Maybe now that Mittelstadt’s in the Western Conference, Krebs will start picking up where he left off.
Zach Benson must start showing off his scoring prowess
While Zach Benson is a winger as opposed to a center, we all know how much scoring upside he possesses. However, he has just 18 points and six goals in 52 contests, which equals 0.35 points per game when rounded up.
This isn’t a knock on Benson, whose game has primarily been defense since he earned a full-time spot on the lineup. The 18-year-old has played like a seasoned veteran quite a few times in 2023-24, forcing opponents with more NHL experience than he has into making mistakes, and if they think they can skate around him, he’s been glad to at least get a stick on the puck if not outright take it away.
With a strong scoring asset like Mittelstadt now in Denver, Benson will have more opportunities to help create goals either by finding open linemates near the net or doing what he does best in the offensive zone and setting himself up near the crease.
Like all NHL players, Benson has struggled through some rookie moments, but his high hockey IQ has been valuable to the Sabres all season. Now, he can end the year strong, rack up some points, and excite the fanbase for the 2024-25 season.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference as of March 7th)