Player Discussion Casey Mittelstadt (2017, 8th) #37 - Part III

[dire wolf]

I'm not seeing Mitts as 7 million per year player. Not a chance lol.. Giving Mitts 7/49 is an overpay

I could get down with a 5 million AAV salary for Mitts maybe over 5-6 years

If he keeps up his current level for the whole season, you're dreaming. They would be lucky to get him for 7x7.

His development has been surprising. His strength and style of play have really matured. Call me crazy, but stylistically, he is starting to remind me of Marian Hossa (with less finish). Incredible puck protection and really good defensive play and back checking in the neutral zone. Am I nuts?

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

If he keeps up his current level for the whole season, you're dreaming. They would be lucky to get him for 7x7.

His development has been surprising. His strength and style of play have really matured. Call me crazy, but stylistically, he is starting to remind me of Marian Hossa (with less finish). Incredible puck protection and really good defensive play and back checking in the neutral zone. Am I nuts?

Hossa was the best junior player I've ever seen live. A man against boys, and a holy-shit-did-you-see-that? move or two, every game. That season was the Portland Winterhawks last Memorial Cup win. (Fun fact - coach of the MC host Spokane Chiefs was Mike Babcock.) He lived up to his "best player not in the NHL" reputation all the way to the HHoF.

Not a terrible comparison stylistically, but Casey ain't nearly that. You're tempting the trollers during his next slump. "This guy is supposed to be our Hossa? WTF???"

I love what Casey has become, through his persistence and hard work. He's been a huge factor, especially with some stalwarts off to disappointing starts. We're lucky to have him. Get him resigned.

He's also insurance in case the Cozens contract turns out to have been a mistake. I don't think that will be necessary though.

 

[RoyalOverNavy]

This is my first post on this subject, so excuse me if this ground was covered previously in this thread.

Casey is a legitmately good NHL player.
There was time I never thought I'd type that sentence.

I remember not long after Casey was drafted ... he was talked of as being the team's No.2 center behind Jack Eichel.
That was foolishness, of course, but I'm sure Casey felt the pressure and his poor play reflected it.
I also remember his demotion to Rochester, and the word "bust" being tossed around liberally.

Now he's playing No.1 center minutes, and thriving.
I believe Casey, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and JJ Peterka would garner nearly all of the team's quarter-season MVP votes if ballots were accepted after tonight's game v NYR.

Kevyn Adams has done a nice job of locking up his young talent for the foreseeable future.
I'm hoping he prioritizes keeping Casey in Buffalo.

 

[MOGlLNY]

This is my first post on this subject, so excuse me if this ground was covered previously in this thread.

Casey is a legitmately good NHL player.
There was time I never thought I'd type that sentence.

I remember not long after Casey was drafted ... he was talked of as being the team's No.2 center behind Jack Eichel.
That was foolishness, of course, but I'm sure Casey felt the pressure and his poor play reflected it.
I also remember his demotion to Rochester, and the word "bust" being tossed around liberally.

Now he's playing No.1 center minutes, and thriving.
I believe Casey, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and JJ Peterka would garner nearly all of the team's quarter-season MVP votes if ballots were accepted after tonight's game v NYR.

Kevyn Adams has done a nice job of locking up his young talent for the foreseeable future.
I'm hoping he prioritizes keeping Casey in Buffalo.

This is a good thing but also bad.

Need the big guns to start showing up most nights and I think we’ll start to see the team heat up with how well the bolded have played this year as well as Jokiharju.

Consistency has been the big issue, hopefully tonight’s game was the tide turner. Was a big performance.

 

[RecycledEichel]

Him and Peterka's future contracts going way up.. Really want to keep both, but afraid of the cap hits. Especially when we have to do Quinn and eventually Savoie and Benson.

 

[HaNotsri]

Him and Peterka's future contracts going way up.. Really want to keep both, but afraid of the cap hits. Especially when we have to do Quinn and eventually Savoie and Benson.

Skinners 9 million deal ends when Savoies elc is up.
Clifton is gone when Bensons elc ends.

On top of that cap will hopefully go up quite a bit after our extensions making them better relative to total cap.

Peterka+Quinn has one more year on elc.

It's really just Jokiharju and Mittelstadt short term and we can easily free up 6 million from current overpaid roster players (Johnson, Okposo, Girgensons, Jost, Olofsson). Worst case scenario is a super cheap backup goalie (Levi) and maybe trading Greenway.

 

[debaser66]

This is my first post on this subject, so excuse me if this ground was covered previously in this thread.

Casey is a legitmately good NHL player.
There was time I never thought I'd type that sentence.

I remember not long after Casey was drafted ... he was talked of as being the team's No.2 center behind Jack Eichel.
That was foolishness, of course, but I'm sure Casey felt the pressure and his poor play reflected it.
I also remember his demotion to Rochester, and the word "bust" being tossed around liberally.

Now he's playing No.1 center minutes, and thriving.
I believe Casey, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and JJ Peterka would garner nearly all of the team's quarter-season MVP votes if ballots were accepted after tonight's game v NYR.

Kevyn Adams has done a nice job of locking up his young talent for the foreseeable future.
I'm hoping he prioritizes keeping Casey in Buffalo.

I wanted him to be shot into the sun until Granato took over, now I want him to be locked up.
that sounds strange

 

[HaNotsri]

Would you stay with the Sabres if you were Mittelstadt? Or would you look at the experiences of Eichel, Reinhart, Montour, Ullmark and ROR?
I know he has friends on the roster and I hope he wants to stay but I think any sane person would try to get as far away from the Buffalo Sabres as possible. Hopefully he has some kind of Stockholm syndrome or love for the city.

 

[Chainshot]

This is a good thing but also bad.

Need the big guns to start showing up most nights and I think we’ll start to see the team heat up with how well the bolded have played this year as well as Jokiharju.

Consistency has been the big issue, hopefully tonight’s game was the tide turner. Was a big performance.

Seems like they took that tide and road the rip current right back out into the ocean.

 

[Dingo44]

 

[buffalowing88]

Would you stay with the Sabres if you were Mittelstadt? Or would you look at the experiences of Eichel, Reinhart, Montour, Ullmark and ROR?
I know he has friends on the roster and I hope he wants to stay but I think any sane person would try to get as far away from the Buffalo Sabres as possible. Hopefully he has some kind of Stockholm syndrome or love for the city.

On the one hand, the NHL isn't like the other major American pro sports leagues. The majority of the players are from cold-weather cities and a place like Buffalo is convenient in terms of proximity to major population centers in Ontario. So it's not the city itself that is the issue.

The problem is that the culture is so far gone at this point, as you alluded to. If he thinks he can get a shot at more minutes on a team that may actually have a semblance of consistency, he should take it. I think he's going to be a very fun guy to watch in the postseason one of these days.

 

[HaNotsri]

On the one hand, the NHL isn't like the other major American pro sports leagues. The majority of the players are from cold-weather cities and a place like Buffalo is convenient in terms of proximity to major population centers in Ontario. So it's not the city itself that is the issue.

The problem is that the culture is so far gone at this point, as you alluded to. If he thinks he can get a shot at more minutes on a team that may actually have a semblance of consistency, he should take it. I think he's going to be a very fun guy to watch in the postseason one of these days.

I wasn't thinking about the city, more about the team and how fantastic the turnaround has been for the significant players that left.

 

[HaNotsri]

9th in even strength points. With a working powerplay he could have had a really nice season.

If he wants to stay I'd happily extend him since he's a favourite of mine but if he wants to leave he is deserving of the golden ticket to a stanley cup.

One of Kruegers worst victims among Dahlin and Skinner.

 

[CaliSabresfan24]

Had he not got injured at the beginning of the 21-22 season, you wonder what his contract situation would have been.

 

[Dingo44]

 

[Old Navy Goat]

That just means one thing, Casey needs to start scoring on the PP, can't just waste a minute or so of ice time every man advantage

 

[K8fool]

That just means one thing, Casey needs to start scoring on the PP, can't just waste a minute or so of ice time every man advantage

The league adjusted to us. We are having difficulty adjusting to them ,esp w zone entry. They need to play jazz do different stuff but each draw defenders , started last night. We'll see

Teach a philosophy .not structure which I believe they kinda are. The more confidence the more they are calm and hold puck w strength like skinner last night and Thompson when he's on

 

[DapperCam]

Really hope we extend Mittelstadt. He’s one of the few guys on the team that actually plays a winning brand of hockey IMO. Related, he’s one of the only guys that consistently wins board battles.

 

[Sabreality]

Really hope we extend Mittelstadt. He’s one of the few guys on the team that actually plays a winning brand of hockey IMO. Related, he’s one of the only guys that consistently wins board battles.

I'd give him the Cozens deal tmrw. Don't Reinhart him. Figure it out KevYn.

 

[dortt]

Casey’s performance is why i proposed the tage trade in the offseason. He is our number 1 center. However, ss he is less flashy than tage, he wont get as much in a deal.

Most certainly extend casey

 

[TehDoak]

I like Mittelstadt. That being said, whats the point of having a bizillion prospects if you are going to lock up 3 centers long term? Especially given the lack of success as a team we've had.

He'd have legit value as a trade piece this summer.

I think it's probably best to have a bigger discussion about which 2 centers or move forward with rather than automatically giving out a long term deal to Mittelstadt here.

 

[DapperCam]

I like Mittelstadt. That being said, whats the point of having a bizillion prospects if you are going to lock up 3 centers long term? Especially given the lack of success as a team we've had.

He'd have legit value as a trade piece this summer.

I think it's probably best to have a bigger discussion about which 2 centers or move forward with rather than automatically giving out a long term deal to Mittelstadt here.

We really only have one prospect that projects to center in the pros IMO, and that is Ostlund. Kulich, Rosen, Benson and Savoie seem like wingers to me. So I wouldn’t say we are flush with center prospects.

I’d rather deal one of the aforementioned winger prospects than Mitts.

 

[sabremike]

It takes YEARS to develope roughly 95% of the players in the league. Spending YEARS developing players and getting rid of them/allowing them to walk just as it's finally paying off and allowing another organization to reap the rewards is how you end up a failing basket case of a franchise. If they deal Casey both of these two things are a virtual lock:

1) He will go on to have off the charts success with his new team

2) The return will be awful because we are seen as an organization that exists for other teams to con and sucker. We will always get lowball offers because nobody in the entire sport has any respect for this organization whatsoever (and to be somewhat fair to Kevyn I think that lack of respect leading to nothing but shit lopsided trade offers from other teams is a big reason there haven't been any trades other than ones that were forced).

 

[TehDoak]

We really only have one prospect that projects to center in the pros IMO, and that is Ostlund. Kulich, Rosen, Benson and Savoie seem like wingers to me. So I wouldn’t say we are flush with center prospects.

I’d rather deal one of the aforementioned winger prospects than Mitts.

No I am talking about moving one out, bringing one in short term, and developing one. The prospect of locking in 40M+ of your cap in 3 centers and 2 d men that haven’t even made the playoffs should give everyone some pause.

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

I hope Adams not paying 10.5 Million to Casey. 6-7 is good.