Just minutes after sending Ryan Johansen and a first-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers in a trade for defenseman Sean Walker, the Colorado Avalanche continued checking boxes off their wish list by acquiring Buffalo Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt in exchange for 22-year-old blueliner Bowen Byram.
The biggest one-for-one deal of the season so far sees both teams address their biggest need; Johansen, a new Flyer destined for waivers, had badly struggled as Colorado’s No.2 center (13G, 23P), while the Sabres desperately needed another talented defenseman to round out their top-four alongside Rasmus Dahlin, Henri Jokiharju, and Owen Power.
For Colorado, Mittelstadt figures to be an electric addition to the top-six and second-power play, which has frequently featured three defensemen in 2023-24. The 25-year-old is enjoying the best season of his professional career, averaging more than 18 minutes of ice time and pacing for the first 60-point campaign.
Byram (20P, +1 in 55GP) heads the other way to Western New York, where he is a natural fit in a suddenly exciting young defensive corps. He was a likely trade casualty for the Avs from the beginning of the season because of his healthy $3.85 million cap hit and limited opportunities behind fellow puck movers Cale Makar and Sam Girard.
With Byram and Johansen off the books, pending RFA Mittelstadt is a near-lock to sign a hefty extension in Denver, though Walker is just as likely a rental piece as the Avalanche gear up for a postseason run.
Byram, meanwhile, projects to fit into Buffalo’s plans as the missing piece on the final spot in their top-four, which has been filled inadequately this season by the now-injured Mattias Samuelsson and veteran Connor Clifton.
The one-for-one trade seems a win-win for the time being, but only time will tell who comes out on this swap of former top-10 picks in the years to come.
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