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

[Spirits]

Or he's a young Dman that hasn't finished developing.

He certainly hasn't developed as one would have hoped so far. He still looking good in Buffalo? Haven't caught many of their games since the trade.

 

[Zman5778]

He still looking good in Buffalo? Haven't caught many of their games since the trade.

Has had some VERY good games and then some games where he looks every bit the part of a young, developing defenseman.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

What does it say about this front office when they are fortunate enough to have a drafted player pan out and hit potential, allow for solid depth at one of the most important spots on the ice (if not any true #1 guys), just to trade that guy because he has a raise coming? These are the good things you should hope to happen...not a problem that needs to be "solved". We all see the lengths that other clubs go to toe the cap ceiling. Paying Mitts wasn't going to even sniff the issues those teams contend with.

So now instead of paying what some people think is a relatively high % of cap on Cs (relatively), there is going to be the highest cap % in the league for the D-corps. Bringing everyone back adds up to 35 mil. No other team hits 31 mil next season. This is a D-corps with a true #1 guy that hasn't quite hit potential, two more guys we're waiting to hit potential and be worth close to their cap hit (Sammy, Power), and two more guys who will need to be paid more within two years (Byram, Joker), maybe three depending on Johnson (or get traded like Mitts).

KA is going to pay an awful lot for players that still need to make their game match their cap hit, while trading away a guy that actually just met that threshold at a more important roster spot that is now fairly weak, without another big move (that we all assume isn't happening). This is getting publicity as a "hockey trade", but it was done with money in mind, badly weakens the center position, and heavily skews cap % towards the D-corps by adding a player we already had enough of - inexperienced offensive D-man.

That's the end of my soapbox rants about this trade. If there isn't a big trade for a very good center over the summer, this team is not going to contend in the playoffs...even if a miracle hire for a new coaching staff happens. I won't be back unless that happens.

 

[Panthaz89]

What does it say about this front office when they are fortunate enough to have a drafted player pan out and hit potential, allow for solid depth at one of the most important spots on the ice (if not any true #1 guys), just to trade that guy because he has a raise coming? These are the good things you should hope to happen...not a problem that needs to be "solved". We all see the lengths that other clubs go to toe the cap ceiling. Paying Mitts wasn't going to even sniff the issues those teams contend with.

So now instead of paying what some people think is a relatively high % of cap on Cs (relatively), there is going to be the highest cap % in the league for the D-corps. Bringing everyone back adds up to 35 mil. No other team hits 31 mil next season. This is a D-corps with a true #1 guy that hasn't quite hit potential, two more guys we're waiting to hit potential and be worth close to their cap hit (Sammy, Power), and two more guys who will need to be paid more within two years (Byram, Joker), maybe three depending on Johnson (or get traded like Mitts).

KA is going to pay an awful lot for players that still need to make their game match their cap hit, while trading away a guy that actually just met that threshold at a more important roster spot that is now fairly weak, without another big move (that we all assume isn't happening). This is getting publicity as a "hockey trade", but it was done with money in mind, badly weakens the center position, and heavily skews cap % towards the D-corps by adding a player we already had enough of - inexperienced offensive D-man.

That's the end of my soapbox rants about this trade. If there isn't a big trade for a very good center over the summer, this team is not going to contend in the playoffs...even if a miracle hire for a new coaching staff happens. I won't be back unless that happens.

Bruh Mitts isn't the first promising player to be traded for another promising player or haul....Debrincat scored 40 goals twice and was traded TWICE recently. We already have a guy that we drafted score 30/30 in Cozens and a Thompson who we traded to get put up 40/40 seasons that have been better than anything Mitts has ever done and they were already signed long term. Face it we were a lot stronger at forward coming in and next year we'll probably be graduating two more forwards onto the team especially Savoie.....all we need is a coach that can get Cozens and Thompson to play like they have already done before heck they could play a bit worse and we would be perfectly fine.

Also both of these guys are much more effective on special teams especially the PK so long term they were no brainers to keep for anyone sane enough to remember beyond this season.

 

[JLewyB]

Tired: we lost the Mitts trade

Wired: we lost the Joki trade

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Tired: we lost the Mitts trade

Wired: we lost the Joki trade

Fired: we lost the John Tucker trade

 

[BuffaloMango]

Bruh Mitts isn't the first promising player to be traded for another promising player or haul....Debrincat scored 40 goals twice and was traded TWICE recently. We already have a guy that we drafted score 30/30 in Cozens and a Thompson who we traded to get put up 40/40 seasons that have been better than anything Mitts has ever done and they were already signed long term. Face it we were a lot stronger at forward coming in and next year we'll probably be graduating two more forwards onto the team especially Savoie.....all we need is a coach that can get Cozens and Thompson to play like they have already done before heck they could play a bit worse and we would be perfectly fine.

Also both of these guys are much more effective on special teams especially the PK so long term they were no brainers to keep for anyone sane enough to remember beyond this season.

bruh....Mitts has been the best center on the Sabres since last years All Star Break.

We won't be better at forward next year for the same reason that Benson (while a good player) wasn't an impact player this year. He just happens to be better than the other guys who aren't good enough.

Guys like Cozens, Savoie, Kulich, and Benson would be better served in playing in the NHL today and their development tomorrow if they were on a team with real life NHL level talent where they could fill in as a role player not as "the player". I am so sick of this regimes rigging the deck for guys like Dylan Cozens to "eventually" be better than some player tomorrow when guys like Mitts are the better player today. It doesn't serve their development like they think it does.

At some point we have to stop chasing being the youngest team in the league and start having players on the roster that are the better NHL players today.

 

[RefsIdeas]

bruh....Mitts has been the best center on the Sabres since last years All Star Break.

We won't be better at forward next year for the same reason that Benson (while a good player) wasn't an impact player this year. He just happens to be better than the other guys who aren't good enough.

Guys like Cozens, Savoie, Kulich, and Benson would be better served in playing in the NHL today and their development tomorrow if they were on a team with real life NHL level talent where they could fill in as a role player not as "the player". I am so sick of this regimes rigging the deck for guys like Dylan Cozens to "eventually" be better than some player tomorrow when guys like Mitts are the better player today. It doesn't serve their development like they think it does.

At some point we have to stop chasing being the youngest team in the league and start having players on the roster that are the better NHL players today.

Very well said on the last two paragraphs.

We throw all of the young guys together and hope they pan out.

Successful teams strongly insulate their young players behind a core of established talent.