Does Mitts still fit into the long term plans?

[yzerman]

Trade Mittelstadt and Ullmark for Merzlikins

additions for the team last couple of days

Hall (for free) and Merzlikins For Ullmark and Mittelstadt

 

[Jim Bob]

Trade Mittelstadt and Ullmark for Merzlikins

additions for the team last couple of days

Hall (for free) and Merzlikins For Ullmark and Mittelstadt

They still have the issue of Hutton...

 

[Old Navy Goat]

They still have the issue of Hutton...

Trade Mittelstadt and Ullmark for Merzlikins

additions for the team last couple of days

Hall (for free) and Merzlikins For Ullmark and Mittelstadt

Merzlikins costs too much at 4mil, still leaves Hutton and honestly is Merzlikins any better than Ulmark

 

[Jim Bob]

Merzlikins costs too much at 4mil, still leaves Hutton and honestly is Merzlikins any better than Ulmark

The challenge with Merzlikins is the small sample size in that he has one season of NHL games to go on. But, his old school stats look great, so I understand the attraction.



I would love to see what things look like for Elvis if you plug him into the Clear Sight calculator for what his advanced stats look like on the Sabres compared to what Ullmark has put up.

I would love to know what the Sabres would have to add to Hutton to land Elvis and go with Ullmark and Elvis as a tandem next season.

 

[yzerman]

They still have the issue of Hutton...

Just 1 year left let him and Jonas Johansson split those maybe 25% of games Merzlikins is resting.

i don't see the problem there and Hutton is better back up goalie with fewer games played.

And i can almost guarantee if he stays Healthy Merzlikins is a top goalie for a long time and him and Hall would make this team with maybe a small changes on their defence group a dangerous playoff team.

 

[Fjordy]

Just 1 year left let him and Jonas Johansson split those maybe 25% of games Merzlikins is resting.

i don't see the problem there and Hutton is better back up goalie with fewer games played.

And i can almost guarantee if he stays Healthy Merzlikins is a top goalie for a long time and him and Hall would make this team with maybe a small changes on their defence group a dangerous playoff team.

I don't think we can afford Merzlikins, Ullmark and Hutton and still match the cap.

 

[yzerman]

I don't think we can afford Merzlikins, Ullmark and Hutton and still match the cap.

Resign Ullmark 2-3 years 2,5 million a year he must be happy with that offer then trade him and Mittelstadt For Merzlikins

Merzlikins comes in at 4 million then resign Reinhart 6 million and Olofsson 3,5 and you will fit the cap space?should be 100 000k free space left =)

 

[Jim Bob]

Just 1 year left let him and Jonas Johansson split those maybe 25% of games Merzlikins is resting.

i don't see the problem there and Hutton is better back up goalie with fewer games played.

And i can almost guarantee if he stays Healthy Merzlikins is a top goalie for a long time and him and Hall would make this team with maybe a small changes on their defence group a dangerous playoff team.

Hutton has been a tire fire since the Sabres signed him. And I wouldn't count on JJ being effective if he's getting bounced back and forth between the AHL & NHL.

 

[Fjordy]

Resign Ullmark 2-3 years 2,5 million a year he must be happy with that offer then trade him and Mittelstadt For Merzlikins

Merzlikins comes in at 4 million then resign Reinhart 6 million and Olofsson 3,5 and you will fit the cap space?should be 100 000k free space left =)

Why do we need to trade Ullmark? He is our best goalie. Also, our cap will be 80 million due to the fine, not 81.5. I would try to trade Hutton++ for Merzlikins.

 

[Old Navy Goat]

Resign Ullmark 2-3 years 2,5 million a year he must be happy with that offer then trade him and Mittelstadt For Merzlikins

Merzlikins comes in at 4 million then resign Reinhart 6 million and Olofsson 3,5 and you will fit the cap space?should be 100 000k free space left =)

Still doesn't explain why do a more expensive lateral move at best. I stick with the more proven Ulmark, than chance a downgrade on a goalie with worse NHL stats behind a better defense

 

[yzerman]

Why do we need to trade Ullmark? He is our best goalie. Also, our cap will be 80 million due to the fine, not 81.5. I would try to trade Hutton++ for Merzlikins.

Still doesn't explain why do a more expensive lateral move at best. I stick with the more proven Ulmark, than chance a downgrade on a goalie with worse NHL stats behind a better defense

Its a Gamble Of course but Merzlikins could very well be a superstar goaltender in the future and maybe worth the risk.To gamble a 1B goalie Ullmark and today a questionable Mittelstadt but Columbus needs Young Centers so maybe they would go for it, i have the feeling that Ullmark is not good enough to take Buffalo all the way to the Stanley cup.And to have Hall and Merzlikins in the team with the other new players next season is a tempting thought but he is unexperienced but what else could Buffalo offer for him?Feels like Hutton only makes the deal even more expensive to take his contract

 

[Jim Bob]

Its a Gamble Of course but Merzlikins could very well be a superstar goaltender in the future and maybe worth the risk.To gamble a 1B goalie Ullmark and today a questionable Mittelstadt but Columbus needs Young Centers so maybe they would go for it, i have the feeling that Ullmark is not good enough to take Buffalo all the way to the Stanley cup.And to have Hall and Merzlikins in the team with the other new players next season is a tempting thought but he is unexperienced but what else could Buffalo offer for him?Feels like Hutton only makes the deal even more expensive to take his contract

C'Bus has about 15 centers on their big club roster right now.

And 2 of their last 3 1st round picks have been on centers (PLD & Foudy).

I don't see them having a big need for Mitts.

 

[sufferer]

I don't think Mitts could handle Tortorella. He's only been under the likes of Housley, Taylor and Krueger his pro career to date.

 

[explore]

My view is that Mitts is a career AHL player going forward unless he takes a big step forward.

 

[Gabrielor]

My view is that Mitts is a career AHL player going forward unless he takes a big step forward.

I more or less agree, which is why I want to trade him before this season starts.

He'll have terrible value alone, but probably decent value as a sweetener to a bigger deal.

 

[Flash20]

Kyle Williams

Nhl lol

 

[DJN21]

I was ready to trade him the day we drafted him but thats just me, I still hope the best for him/us/me and would be pleasantly surprised if he worked out.

 

[Washed Up 29YearOld]

Never give up on another high-end prospect with lower trade value only to trade him and have him figure it out on a new team.

People are questioning his character and commitment-- how do you even know? Do you watch him train? Watching interviews and you turn into a keyboard body language/vocal tone expert? Do you watch him practice? I binged on NHL 18-19 and still had crazy grades in college because I balanced and structured my day.

He's got legit puck skills, like, the kids a wizard. Happen to recall those effortless shootout goals as a 20 yr old kid?

He's not as fast as he needs to be. SPEED CAN BE IMPROVED especially a developing prospect so young. Body weight and body fat is a thing. I gained so much speed from 18- 21 personally because I weighed far less after 18 and had much stronger core strength in my thighs.

Folks, he's only 21, with inferior linemates. You're asking way to0 much from a kid who hasn't even physically grown into his body. again folks he's TWENTY ONE. Remember how immature you were at 21? I didn't apply myself at college then went beast mode at 22 and had dean's list five semesters straight.

It's not like he is what he is.
Wayyy too early to give up on him.

He would thrive as a winger where he has the space and positioning to make plays.

At the NHL level, he was rushed to center too soon. We need to see him on wing first to start him out and see what he can do.
Mittelstadt-Eakin-Cozens might be something.

It's pretty incredible how a boy's body matures after age 21. If he's committed to improving himself, at worst his floor is a 40-50 point winger imo. Not why we drafted him, but would add a playmaking dynamic to the 3rd line RAV style with Eakin being the vet presence.

Just way too early to give up on him. Let's not trade him before we know what we have. I doubt he'll ever be a 70 point center. But I wouldn't be surprised or disappointed at all, if he turns out to be a 60-70 point winger.

Not why we drafted him, still fills a need.

 

[Chainshot]

It is up to him. If he can show the puck pursuit and back pressure he does at his best? Certainly. His fitness level is also up to him...

 

[Moncton man]

Calgary got rid of Brett Hull at 23.

 

[Gabrielor]

Calgary got rid of Brett Hull at 23.

Brett Hull was a talented shooter. Mittelstadt's high-level talent is stick handling.

 

[Buffaloed]

Calgary got rid of Brett Hull at 23.

They didn't get rid of him because he sucked, they wanted Rob Ramage.

 

[Moncton man]

Brett Hull was a talented shooter. Mittelstadt's high-level talent is stick handling.

Yeah I didn't mean it as a direct comparison. Mitts needs to find his game at the AHL level. Don't rush him out a year too early and find Staal and Hall gone after a year and wishing we had him to plug in.

 

[Moncton man]

They didn't get rid of him because he sucked, they wanted Rob Ramage.

In hind sight I guess it is easy to look at 700 plus goals, but at the time I would rather hang on to a goal scorer.

 

[Dex]

In the draft, Casey went right around where he was predicted to go in the '17 draft - so the Sabres were not reaching for someone that no one else had seen or rated that highly. There's also not a lot of success among players taken after his pick.

Seems to me like he was nowhere near ready to start in the NHL when Botts brought him in. He needed at least another year in college and then at least a year in the AHL. This is totally on Botts from a development standpoint, but also on Mitts from a conditioning standpoint. Still, the potential is there for sure.

Trading him now would be the worst possible move. The whole league knows the issues that are out there relative to conditioning and heart. Because of the misfires of the Sabres in terms of mismanagement of this asset and also because of Casey's conditioning, he's at a low point. Personally, I'd rather keep him, play him in Rochester and see what some maturity can bring insofar as attitude and conditioning as opposed to discarding what was and who is a pretty skilled and talented forward.

Many here would like to see him added as part of a deal to bring someone to Buffalo. Bottom line for me is that with his skill set and potential, I'd rather see him fail with Buffalo than succeed somewhere else and exceed the player that he was used to obtain. The Sabres have done stupider things than that.