Confirmed with Link: Casey Mittelstadt traded to COL for D Bo Byram. Straight up.

[littletonhockeycoach]

I have sincerely appreciated your insight into Bo, but this caught my attention. More proof that Granato is going nowhere anytime soon.

Yer right. Donnie is here to stay.........

After all he's a defensive genius . Right?

 

[Panthaz89]

You haven't watched him much this season right? He's been a disappointment on D.....

Well actually, so has the rest of the Avalanche D. Georgiev is nicknamed Fourgiev because game in and game out, its 4 goals scored on him.

Stupid fans blame George. Smart fans see that the Avs D hangs their goalie out to dry too often because they cannot handle an intense forecheck.

I mean he's still a major upgrade over who I would consider our bottom 3 weird people were ready to give up on Mitts in the middle of the last season and seem to overblow everything this year and say stuff like Cozens can only play wing when he was fine last year playing center which we are much deeper then we are at D and we don't really have anything coming up at all on D compared to forwards.

 

[WhereAreTheCookies]

i know why the Avs traded him. I don't know why the Sabres traded Mitts.

Could be contract talks broke down, or they viewed him as expendable with the glut of forward prospects getting close to ready for the NHL. We may never know for certain, but with Tage and Cozens signed long term it could be hard to justify another 6 or 7 million to a center who realistically should be top 6 and if Cozens and Tage revert to form he might not get the opportunity for.

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

Could be contract talks broke down, or they viewed him as expendable with the glut of forward prospects getting close to ready for the NHL. We may never know for certain, but with Tage and Cozens signed long term it could be hard to justify another 6 or 7 million to a center who realistically should be top 6 and if Cozens and Tage revert to form he might not get the opportunity for.

Reasonable. I do believe finances were an issue.

 

[SwordStanley10]

You started this by coming in here and, in your first post, telling any of us who had a bad opinion on the trade that that we were essentially pessimistic jerks who make the boards worse by simply saying our opinion of the deal and now you are acting like you are the victim here? That's rich.

Nope, no issue with stating opinion on the trade. Its the negativity about everything related and unrelated to the trade that is just toxic and doesn't advance any discourse about the team moving forward. It serves no purpose and is depressing to read. I can already see from some of the responses to my post that I should give up while ahead and just stay away from here.

My opinion was the second message. If I came across as telling people how to feel, I apologize because that's not right of me. But what I meant was in reference to the blatant negativity that had really nothing to do with the trade itself and didn't advance the discussion. Apologies for the nuisance today.

Anyways, lets see what happens next. I would hope this isn't the last step in their plan. Also not a lot of snarl in a top 4 playing that will be playing 50ish minutes a night(?) I feel like they're going to try and swing big for a forward, either between now and Friday or in the summer.

 

[Bobby Bottle Service]

While I am sad to see Casey go, I am happy to get Bo Byram back.

The last thing the Sabres needed was a Pick + Prospect + Cap Dump.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Well I’ve decided that I’m fine with the trade, but I’d have preferred the Byram + Colton for Mitts proposal that Avs fan posted.

Ah well.

 

[VaporTrail]

Like the trade...I like moving players out that have been with the team a while....Need to get rid of players associated with that losing culture...Byram being young looks like he has a high upside and brings some physicalness to the team....I wonder if this opens the door in the future for trading Power ?

 

[VaporTrail]

#1 prospect pool for six or seven years running with **** all to show for it.

Watch the finals be FLA v COL

Guess it's time for Reinhart or Mittelstadt to win a Cup now, huh ? Lol

 

[ReleasO The KakkO]

Easy to see what Sabres were thinking but this still looks like a W for the Avs. Middlestat is a plus all the way round in the possession game; the more games Byram plays the worse he gets. Maybe the proverbial “change of scenery” turns the kid back on the right path.

 

[BFLO]

Another similarity between Reinhart and Mitts… neither of them were ever offered a contract by Adams.

 

[TheBarnIsElectric]

Another similarity between Reinhart and Mitts… neither of them were ever offered a contract by Adams.

Pretty sure Reinhart had said he didn't want to re-sign. It was Botterill who should have signed Reinhart long term.

 

[sabremike]

Here's a preview of Kevyn Adams at this year's Fan Appreciation Night:

 

[pigpen65]

Adams has been a fantastic GM for the rest of the league. How cool would it be if the Sabres could trade some of their young, unproven players for guys already developed and just entering their primes? It would be like a rebuild (that we all know so well now since we've been perpetually watching it since Regier) but without all of the waiting.

 

[KrakenSabresMike]

If anything Krebs needed to be traded for a heavier veteran and more responsible checking C. We don't even have a 4th C now, let alone a better and more experienced one. It's a major roster hole now. To try and mitigate that problem with a cap space argument (we should have 3-5 mil in cap space even if we re-signed Mitts), or pumping up Byram who won't be taking ice time or role away from Dahlin/Power anyway, just doesn't sway the narrative.

Posters are pissed and the reason is completely valid.

In case you didn’t notice it’s trade deadline week - we have a 4c hole bc our season is over and we’re trading pieces away - we’ll have 3-4 more holes by Friday. The 4c will get got for next season in the offseason

 

[UnleashRasmus]

I will say, that the Sabres used proper asset management with a glut of center depth both in the NHL and in their prospect depth. So trading out Mittelstadt makes perfect sense. I would have preferred it to be for a natural right handed shot defensemen. I looked at some of the metrics after watching some of the trade break down stuff, and it seems he's on the upswing in the last calendar month. He also has more points on his off side, which he's (Byram) has been playing for a large portion of the year. He has a few games he sat out and a minor LBI this season and has played the most games in a single season to date. I still don't like the trade, but I might have been too harsh.

 

[Ace]

I just thought about how Casey is going to blow up not just because he’s going to be on a good team…but because he is going to be on a non Ellis PP.

 

[Dingo44]

The Athletic's grades are in.

NHL trade grades: Bowen Byram for Casey Mittelstadt a fascinating swap

The Avalanche and Sabres made a rare bona-fide hockey trade that has implications for this year and down the road.

theathletic.com

Eric Duhatschek:
Colorado: A+
Buffalo: B

Cory Pronman:
Colorado: B-
Buffalo: B+

 

[Krieger Bot]

Are Thompson and cozens actual centers on a cup contender? Or are they more wingers? (Besides ostland all the prospects likely end up on the wing as well)

Mittlestat is 2nd line/middle center on a cup contender

This will likely be a contrarian opinion, but I agree. Cozens gave us one very good offensive year as a center, and Tage gave us 2. But it required the team to play an all gas, no brakes style because they struggled so badly defensively.

This year, Granato tried to get them to focus on defense. Which, is somewhat understandable. They were never winning the Cup with their top 2 centers playing defense like that.

Problem is, it failed. Miserably. Cozens still sucks defensively, and now his offense is gone. And while there's been some improvement in Tage's defensive metrics, it's come at the expense of his offense.

The problem, in my opinion, is that neither player really has the defensive IQ to be a top 6 center. In that role, you're often left covering other teams' top 6 centers, and Tage/Cozens just can't do that. Having the ability to play defense at that level is a skill unto itself. And Tage/Cozens don't have it. Honestly, I've never seen any reason to believe either player can do that consistently.

Maybe I'll ultimately be proven wrong. Maybe they'll bring in a veteran coach who brings in some better system and yells at guys and stuff, and that gets them to try harder. Honestly, I'd be thrilled if they did. But I don't really see it. Fundamentally, I think they're just trying to jam square pegs into round holes.

The better move, in my opinion, would've been to keep Mitts, a player that can actually play well in all three zones, and try to add another one of him, so we can move Tage/Cozens back to wing. From there, they can simplify their games and focus on the things they do well (driving offense), without having to worry about covering the Barkovs, Points, and Hughes of the world.

 

[Tachycineta]

I got home to see this. I liked Mitts. A real offensive skill (I kept thinking he would be our Briere). I probably would have traded Cozens and signed Mitts to that contract. But that is why I'm not a GM.

I might revise my post tomorrow.

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

I will say, that the Sabres used proper asset management with a glut of center depth both in the NHL and in their prospect depth. So trading out Mittelstadt makes perfect sense. I would have preferred it to be for a natural right handed shot defensemen. I looked at some of the metrics after watching some of the trade break down stuff, and it seems he's on the upswing in the last calendar month. He also has more points on his off side, which he's (Byram) has been playing for a large portion of the year. He has a few games he sat out and a minor LBI this season and has played the most games in a single season to date. I still don't like the trade, but I might have been too harsh.

I think Byram will at least be an enjoyable player to watch. We haven't had much of that this season. He's loaded with talent, and at 22 has plenty of upside. He has a gang of Canadian WJC pals, so he should fit right in. Who knows, maybe his swagger and moxey will rub off on Power?

But he doesn't fill the hole in the top-4 we all see - youngish, proven veteran, with a sound defensive game. Andersson, Pesce, Roy, Hanifin, etc.

And to get Byram, Adams created a new hole by removing our most versatile forward. That prevents Cozens being moved to wing, and requires Krebs to be successful at 3C. I can't wait to see the fodder he serves up for 4C next season.

But the (2nd?) youngest team in the league just got younger, so there's that.

f*** it - I'm a broken record at this point.

Prove me wrong, Bo. I'll be singing your praises between mouthfuls of crow.

 

[Club]

It's a high risk, high reward deal.

If Byram didn't hypothetically have previous concussion injuries, I believe we're paying a bit extra for Bo. I've warmed up to the trade moreso the last few hours. The reality of the business is we weren't going to honestly re sign Casey for what he would've demanded. Could end up working out for us, time will tell.

 

[Fjordsen]

Looks bad trade. Byram LD, not the defensive top 4 D we need and the guy already had a lot of concussions that caused him to pause his career, a very risky and questionable trade imo. The only hope is that the guy will not have concussions and will be able to reach his potential in Buffalo, while it is not even clear who he will play with.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Looks like he is going to pair with Dahlin. Hopefully the two of them gel and never look back

 

[Steddy33]

This will likely be a contrarian opinion, but I agree. Cozens gave us one very good offensive year as a center, and Tage gave us 2. But it required the team to play an all gas, no brakes style because they struggled so badly defensively.

This year, Granato tried to get them to focus on defense. Which, is somewhat understandable. They were never winning the Cup with their top 2 centers playing defense like that.

Problem is, it failed. Miserably. Cozens still sucks defensively, and now his offense is gone. And while there's been some improvement in Tage's defensive metrics, it's come at the expense of his offense.

The problem, in my opinion, is that neither player really has the defensive IQ to be a top 6 center. In that role, you're often left covering other teams' top 6 centers, and Tage/Cozens just can't do that. Having the ability to play defense at that level is a skill unto itself. And Tage/Cozens don't have it. Honestly, I've never seen any reason to believe either player can do that consistently.

Maybe I'll ultimately be proven wrong. Maybe they'll bring in a veteran coach who brings in some better system and yells at guys and stuff, and that gets them to try harder. Honestly, I'd be thrilled if they did. But I don't really see it. Fundamentally, I think they're just trying to jam square pegs into round holes.

The better move, in my opinion, would've been to keep Mitts, a player that can actually play well in all three zones, and try to add another one of him, so we can move Tage/Cozens back to wing. From there, they can simplify their games and focus on the things they do well (driving offense), without having to worry about covering the Barkovs, Points, and Hughes of the world.

Spot on.