What should the Sabres do with Casey Mittelstadt?

Casey Mittelstadt will be due for a new contract soon. Once the 2024-2025 season concludes, he will be an restricted free agent. While general manager Kevyn Adams still has some time between now and then, the Sabres will need to decide about Mittelstadt soon. So, it begs the question: What should Buffalo do with Casey?

Before we make a case for both sides, let's talk about the year he's having. In 50 games played, Casey has 12 goals and 30 assists with 42 points, which leads all players on the roster. Even though he has to go on a run to match his totals from last year, Mittelstadt is having a solid year. In his last five games, he has three points.

Let's start why they should keep him around. I understand there are some members of the fanbase who want him traded, and we'll talk about that side in a minute. Even though he hasn't scored a goal in the last seven games, he's still producing with assists. It's the second year in a row where has has over 30 points, and he is only three goals away from matching his goal totals from last season.

Now it's time to get into why they should trade him. Hypothetically, if Adams decides to trade Mittelstadt, you might be able to get a good return. It won't be anything crazy, but maybe a solid roster player or a promising prospect. Buffalo already has a good selection of prospects, so maybe a top four defenseman could be a possibility.

Plus contract extensions are a gamble, especially long term deals. Look no further than Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens. Both players got long term extensions, and are not having their best year. Now I'm not saying they didn't deserve them, but it's just an example of what could go wrong. We'll see what Adams does, but as for me, I don't have a thought at the moment.

I guess time will tell and we'll find out once it actually happens.