Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – Casey Mittelstadt was taken in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres with the eighth overall pick.
The Sabres are all he knows, playing 328 games with the team while scoring 60 goals and registering 121 assists for 181 points. That averages out to 15 goals and 30 assists for 45 points over 82 games.
This year, the 25-year-old leads the Sabres in scoring with 42 points in 51 games. But the biggest question now for the upcoming restricted free agent is, do the Sabres have room to sign him as part of the team’s core?
Former Sabres general manager Jason Botterill locked up Jeff Skinner, and current general manager Kevyn Adams has already locked up Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Dylan Cozens and Mattias Samuelsson. He also may want to lock up Jack Quinn, JJ Peterka and Devon Levi when the time comes.
That all indicates there isn't much room to be had for Mittelstadt to fit into the long-term plans of the team.
Adams has always said he’s willing to have conversations with other teams about players, and Mittelstadt would be included in that.
The NHL Trade Deadline this season is set for March 8, and Mittelstadt knows he can’t let it consume him.
"Maybe the uncertainty of it is a little stressful, but I don’t really look into it," said Mittelstadt on Monday after practice. "I don’t go on social media too much, so for me, it’s about trying to keep a clear head and just play hockey. If anything happens, it happens.
"It’s completely out of my control. I try not to worry about it, and have fun with the guys here. I have a lot of good relationships, and people I’ll be friends with for a long time."
Players know if you don’t win, changes are made. Hockey is a business, and that’s the down side, as far as many are concerned.
Mittelstadt knows that all too well, watching players like Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart get traded out of Buffalo.
"We’ve had experience with that before with guys getting moved, but either way, you still get to play hockey for a living," Mittelstadt said. "I would say that we’re all pretty lucky to do that, but I love it here. I love the guys here. I’m just going to enjoy every moment, and if anything happens, it happens."
The few weeks before the deadline is stressful for many players around the NHL. Mittelstadt has been through five of them, so he knows what it's like.
"I think you’ve just got to pretend that it’s not there," he said. "Your job is to play hockey and play well, and any distractions from that is not a good thing. So, for me, it’s coming to the rink and just playing hockey and sticking to my routines."
Sabres head coach Don Granato, like all coaches, has to deal with his players at the deadline.
"You know it’s there, so you communicate to your players, but you’ve got to lay out a game plan for the next game. You’re preoccupying your players with what they need to do and what you’re demanding from them for the next game. That’s the driver," said Granato following Monday's practice.
"I think all our guys are focused on the next game, and we’ve got to continue that. These guys know it’s part of the business, and they’ve been through it. They’ve all been through it except for [Zach] Benson and [Ryan] Johnson."
Sabres defenseman Owen Power left practice early on Monday. Granato says he was getting imaging done and didn’t have an update at that time.
Surprisingly enough, there were no changes to the lines or the defensive pairs during practice.
