In a significant move, the Colorado Avalanche have executed their second major deal of the day by acquiring center Casey Mittelstadt from the Buffalo Sabres. The one-for-one trade, as reported by Kevin Weekes of ESPN, sees talented defenseman Bowen Byram heading to the Sabres in exchange for Mittelstadt. To say the least, this deal has surprised a few fans, with views of the move polarizing.
This comes after Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Colorado Avalanche were working on a trade to acquire defenseman Sean Walker from the Philadelphia Flyers. As part of the return, the Flyers will receive a first-round pick from Colorado. Darren Dreger of TSN reports the Avalanche are also sending center Ryan Johansen to the Flyers, who will be placed on waivers, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.
As for the Byram and Mittelstadt trade, multiple insiders add that no additional assets are part of this transaction. It’s a one-for-one deal. Essentially, it’s a hockey trade that moves a defenseman out and brings a forward in. With Walker coming in, Byram became essentially expendable. And, with Mittelstadt having a fantastic year offensively, this adds firepower to the Avs’ top six.
This trade marks a strategic effort by the Avalanche to bolster their lineup, with Mittelstadt bringing his skill and versatility to the team. The Avalanche, already a formidable force in the league, continue to make calculated moves as they aim for success in the upcoming games and beyond.
Mittelstadt was rumored in trade talks for some time. The belief was the Sabres weren’t intending to commit big money to him long-term. Mittlestadt is still working on the final stretch of his current contract as a pending RFA. He’s currently making $2.5 million and will be in line for a sizeable raise considering he’s got 14 goals and 33 assists for 47 points in 62 games.
Mittelstadt vs. Byram: Trade Solves Both Sabres’ and Avalanche’s Needs
Colorado gets an answer at the second-line center position they’ve been seeking for some time. Meanwhile, Buffalo gets a defenseman who played at a top-pair level when Colorado won the Cup. Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Byram is a very talented d-core to build around.
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