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

[Deep Blue Metallic]

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

Agreed, and I'm certain Dahlin will handle it like a professional who wants to win (even if they did trade his best pal to acquire Byram).

Although which one freewheels while the other one covers? Again, it's just not the right fit for our needs.

 

[SharkInABoloTie]

Turn around and trade Byram for Brandt Clarke...One can dream

 

[The Merchant]

Hey guys, hope you don't mind the intrusion, but do you have any games from this season that you'd recommend watching to get a good idea of Mittelstadt's toolset?

 

[Weltschmerz]

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.

2 years back no one would have called Mitts a 3zone player.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

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

We should be trading pending UFAs that won't be back anyway, not the guys we're supposed to be building a contender with. Obviously you know the difference. If you really think KA is going to add a C that makes the position as good as or better than before this trade, you're going to be very disappointed.

Bottom line is this - Mitts got traded because the franchise is operating under a self-imposed cap, and his new contract was going to go over budget. This team is a pretender. Bet on Joker getting traded, or maybe Samuelsson to offset the addition of Byram's salary.

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

2 years back no one would have called Mitts a 3zone player.

2 years back we'd all have been turning cartwheels over this trade.

 

[Jim Bob]

Byram-Dahlin is intriguing to me.

I still don't like the forward group as much after this deal, obviously. But, if Byram clicks with Dahlin, the D core could look really good next season.

Byram-Dahlin
Power-[Jokiharju/RyJo/TBD]
Samuelsson-Clifton

Although, they could still shake stuff up with Jokiharju and Samuelsson potentially getting moved out.

 

[Jim Bob]

Trade grades: Efficient Avalanche rule frenetic day

The NHL trade deadline's on Friday, at 3 p.m. ET ... right?Anxious general managers completed five trades Wednesday afternoon. Amid the chaos: Sniper Vladimir Tarasenko is off to Florida via Ottawa, and two-way center Alexander Wennberg is off to New York to join the Rangers via Seattle.Let's...

www.thescore.com

I love this second deal - a true "hockey trade" - for the Avs. They've been desperate for somebody to fill the spot behind Nathan MacKinnon, and from my vantage point, Mittelstadt's breakout is no fluke. It took the 2017 eighth overall pick a while to get to this point, but he's a legitimate top-six playmaker. He was pacing Buffalo in assists (33) and points (47) through 62 games, and in Colorado, he'll be well-insulated alongside stud wingers like Valeri Nichushkin.

There's risk in parting with a player as talented as the 22-year-old Byram. He was the top defenseman in the 2022 Cup Final and has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his four-year NHL career. But - and this is a big but in the grand scheme - Byram has a history of concussions. Is he one hit away from another extended leave? Hopefully not, but that was likely part of the calculus here.

From Buffalo's perspective, I get why they moved Mittelstadt. The pending restricted free agent was stuck behind Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens at center and is due for a solid raise. I also get why the Sabres want to take a chance on a potential top-pair guy like Byram, concussion history be damned.

It feels like this is just one shake-up move of many for the Sabres over the spring and summer. The team's top four now includes four lefties in Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson, and Byram. That's fine - lefties can play the right side - but the asymmetry is notable. GM Kevyn Adams seems to have a master plan as Buffalo's playoff drought nears 13 years.

Sabres grade: B

The scariest thing as a long time Sabres fan is the idea of trading for a really talented player with a history of concussions.

Timmah and Patty Lala are not ancient memories for me.

 

[TehDoak]

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.

We have a lot of prospects who played center in Junior. We certainly don't have any one ready to step into the 3C spot. (Krebs included), We needed a veteran 2 way center BEFORE we traded Mittelstadt. There is no 'glut' of centers.

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.

Reinforcing a position of strength (we are spending 20M on LHD next season) from a position of weakness (our 1-3 center play has left a lot to be desired this year) is sheer lunacy.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

After sleeping on it, I still don't love it - in a vacuum - but I have to imagine it's a precursor to something else, potentially much bigger. I'll reserve judgement.

 

[truthbluth]

After sleeping on it, I still don't love it - in a vacuum - but I have to imagine it's a precursor to something else, potentially much bigger. I'll reserve judgement.

This sentiment, which I have seen on these boards and on social media, seems wildly misplaced. There is no plan. Adams is making it up as he goes. He had to trade Mittelstadt because he'd already signed Cozens, Power and Samuelsson to huge contracts they didn't earn. That's all this is. They didn't target Byram, they were looking for a hockey deal of any kind for a player that they can't afford (because of their own incompetence).

 

[TageGod]

After sleeping on it, I still don't love it - in a vacuum - but I have to imagine it's a precursor to something else, potentially much bigger. I'll reserve judgement.

Is trading top 6 for top 4 bigger than two firsts for a top 6 forward?

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[BFLO]

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

Reinhart wanted to re-sign until the 18 game losing streak, finishing last (again) and looking at another rebuild.

Adams had 8 months to sign Reinhart before the 18 game losing streak began.

 

[OkimLom]

What are the odds that Byram brings the level of the defense up vs what are the odds he falls into the terrible habits the rest of the D fall into as he has more time with the team?

 

[Jim Bob]

What are the odds that Byram brings the level of the defense up vs what are the odds he falls into the terrible habits the rest of the D fall into as he has more time with the team?

If he can stay healthy, I think he makes the defense noticeably better overall.

The gamble is that while he's only missed 9 games so far this season, he played 93 regular season games total over the previous 3 seasons, including a couple of AHL games in a rehab assignment.

Samuelsson has been more reliable than Byram over the past four seasons as a comparable. And Sammy is far from the model of a durable player.

 

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

You’d think fans of a team that had mitts Thompson upl Josh Allen, that collectively we’d be less inclined to react like this, knowing first hand how often we are all wrong about everything. But here we are again, team rocket blasting off at the speed of light.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Byram-Dahlin is intriguing to me.

I still don't like the forward group as much after this deal, obviously. But, if Byram clicks with Dahlin, the D core could look really good next season.

Byram-Dahlin
Power-[Jokiharju/RyJo/TBD]
Samuelsson-Clifton

Although, they could still shake stuff up with Jokiharju and Samuelsson potentially getting moved out.

This is where I’m at. I love adding someone as talented as Byram to the defense. If Byram - Dahlin work, then you can figure out two pairs between power, samuelsson, joker, and Clifton.

I also don’t like the forward group as it has no identity, missing key types of players, and just needs some changes. You have some key pieces, but it’s just a collection of players rather than a thoughtfully constructed forward group. But that was true even with Mitts.

 

[Jim Bob]

This is where I’m at. I love adding someone as talented as Byram to the defense. If Byram - Dahlin work, then you can figure out two pairs between power, samuelsson, joker, and Clifton.

I also don’t like th forward group as it has no identity, missing key types of players, and just needs some changes. But that was true even with Mitts.

The interesting thing at forward for the rest of this season is that we will get to see a larger sample size of Krebs playing up the lineup. I am not super optimistic about how that works. But, I do think it is a good idea to see how it works over the rest of the season.

And I hope that Adams is more aggressive with remodeling the roster between today and opening day of the 2024-25 season as he does have to do more than just try and plug some kids in the lineup.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

Is trading top 6 for top 4 bigger than two firsts for a top 6 forward?

No. But I also don't understand why you ask.

 

[truthbluth]

You’d think fans of a team that had mitts Thompson upl Josh Allen, that collectively we’d be less inclined to react like this, knowing first hand how often we are all wrong about everything. But here we are again, team rocket blasting off at the speed of light.

Why take a Mitts when you could have this mystery box...

 

[joshjull]

Fire Adams. And now we just released Tre White. I had back surgery today and I hate everything.

Bets of luck with your recovery!

 

[5 Minute Major]

I agree with the Avs poster if Byram reaches his potential we win the trade.

Thats a big if.

Do we though?

What if Mittelstadt’s replacement (Krebs) never comes close to reaching Casey’s level of play?

 

[Fjordsen]

Do we though?

What if Mittelstadt’s replacement (Krebs) never comes close to reaching Casey’s level of play?

That's why there is also Savoie and Ostlund.

 

[Ace]

After sleeping on it, I still don't love it - in a vacuum - but I have to imagine it's a precursor to something else, potentially much bigger. I'll reserve judgement.

If there is a big move for a forward even better than Mittelstadt...then this move can work out great.

If the plan is to wait on more kids to grab roles...I don't even know where to start on it. I'm afraid this is the plan.

If the plan is to get a different type of third line center...I understand it. But I am more than a little terrified of running back the players that play on our top line as a plan. Tage might rebound when healthy. Skinner won't. Tuch looks like a zombie half the time and is held together by duct tape and string. Those are the players who eventually can get replaced by kids...in 2 and 3 years when their contracts are up and those kids aren't kids anymore.

They created a big hole...and I'm not convinced they know where it is. I'm afraid they think it's on the third line. It isn't. They need to go bigger than thinking like that. And a lot bigger than waiting around for 20 year olds.

And I'm curious what happens in the draft. If we win some games and slide down the board a bit...the bpa usually ends up being (stop me if you've heard this one) an undersized skill winger. I'm not saying they shouldn't draft him. Benson was a no brainer even with all the ones we keep taking. But there are only so many spots. Which means...if it falls that way...they have to trade some. A few even. I want that to be for top 6 players. Because how many of the 6 do you really trust at this point? I really don't want to see them go for a jam guy to play on the third line.