Sabres Trade Casey Mittelstadt; Acquire Bowen Byram

If the Buffalo Sabres were looking to make a big splash in the trade market, a young, top-four defenseman would likely be in their sights. General Manager Kevyn Adams confirmed that on Wednesday when the Sabres traded Casey Mittelstadt to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for defenseman Bowen Byram. Byram, age 22, was selected fourth overall by the Avalanche in 2019. Despite some struggles analytically this season, Byram has eight goals and 20 points in 55 games.

Buffalo Hockey Now first dove into the potential of a Mittelstadt for Byram deal on February 21st. Associate General Manager Jason Karmanos spent a good deal of time around Ball Arena in Denver last month. The depth of the Sabres’ defense core has been tested heavily this season. Most recently, Owen Power was out for a stretch of games. As a result, Rasmus Dahlin’s ice time spike to over 29 minutes a game out of pure necessity. With Byram in the fold, Buffalo has a third very skilled, offensive-minded option on the backend to help drive play up the ice.

Must Read: Sabres’ Trade Fit With the Avalanche

Of course, to obtain a good player you have to give up talent too. Casey Mittelstadt was the Sabres’ leading scorer, with 47 points in 62 games. With Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens locked up long-term at the center position, he became expendable. There’s also a slew of top forward prospects in the Sabres organization on the brink of being NHL-ready. The move provides more flexibility for roster construction heading into next season.

Adams stated that the Sabres were not actively shopping Mittelstadt, but that teams were calling about him in his interview on WGR550 in Buffalo on February 13th. The only way a deal of this nature would occur is if Buffalo received a player who could help both immediately and into the future. Byram fits that description to a tee.

As for what other trades could occur between now and the March 9th deadline, we’ll have to wait and see. Erik Johnson, Kyle Okposo, Zemgus Girgensons, Victor Olofsson, Eric Comrie, and Eric Robinson are all pending unrestricted free agents. Given the team’s position in the standings, any one or all of those players could be on the move. We’ll have more analysis on the Byram for Mittelstadt trade coming soon.

For the Avalanche’s perspective on the deal, be sure to visit Colorado Hockey Now. Evan Rawal has you covered.