Has Casey Mittelstadt changed any minds?

[PerreaultForever]

I really don't get why some people think Mitts was so great against Philly. Consider perhaps that Tuch is just so freakin' good (and heart and soul Sabre) that he elevates everyone he plays with. 

I already talked about this when he came in last year. It's the Tuch factor. Mitts is still average at best. 

[thewookie1]

Mitts has definitely changed my mind from him being a bust to that of a talented but flawed player. 

Either through Granato's coaching or his own maturation Casey has truly come to embrace being more of a role player. He'll never be some Top 6 superstar but he can certainly become a high end 3rd line winger with the talent to spot fill the Top 6 as needed.

5 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

I really don't get why some people think Mitts was so great against Philly. Consider perhaps that Tuch is just so freakin' good (and heart and soul Sabre) that he elevates everyone he plays with. 

I already talked about this when he came in last year. It's the Tuch factor. Mitts is still average at best. 

I'd still give Mitts a bit more credit but mostly agree. It does take talent to even be able to be elevated when you're talking top line play.  

Essentially both Mitts and Krebs have seemed to embrace a bottom 6 role and have become solid players as a result.

[PerreaultForever]

11 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

I'd still give Mitts a bit more credit but mostly agree. It does take talent to even be able to be elevated when you're talking top line play.  

Essentially both Mitts and Krebs have seemed to embrace a bottom 6 role and have become solid players as a result.

Which is why I call him "average".  I have no issues with him in the bottom 6 next year. The guy I'd deal if you want to make changes (which I would) is VO. 

[Night Train]

 Hustles but his shot always misses the net or he loses control of the puck.  I'm glad he's helping assist on some goals lately, filling in for Tage.. I wouldn't give him another contract unless it was modest at best.

 

 There were far bigger expectations for him to score but I'm convinced he couldn't find an open net with a map. Snakebit player. Too many young forwards in the pipeline who have more upside. 

[Weave]

He has.  He’s shown he belongs at this level.

Im still not convinced that he’s on our roster when we are in the conversation about the Stanley Cup.  I think we’ll need to move him because he’ll require more salary to keep, Especially when some of the kids on the cusp show they can replace his offense.

Maybe he’s the Patrick Sharpe that Sam didn’t quite end up.  He’s a better center than Sam IMO, although Sam is a better wing.

Ive said in the past that I get a Derrick Brassard/ Kyle Turris type vibe out of Mitts.  Seems more and more to me that this might be about right.

[sweetlou]

48 minutes ago, Night Train said:

 Hustles but his shot always misses the net or he loses control of the puck.  I'm glad he's helping assist on some goals lately, filling in for Tage.. I wouldn't give him another contract unless it was modest at best.

 

 There were far bigger expectations for him to score but I'm convinced he couldn't find an open net with a map. Snakebit player. Too many young forwards in the pipeline who have more upside. 

Casey has a missed shot total of 38; 27 wide, 4 over, with 6 posts and 1 crossbar.  He does only have 115 shots on goal.

Compare that to Tage who has a missed shot total of 104; 75 wide, 14 over, with 14 posts (leads the league), and 1 crossbar.  He has 269 shots on goal. 

 

So simply put. If Casey would shoot twice as much he would be a 20 goal scorer.

[Radar]

7 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Which is why I call him "average".  I have no issues with him in the bottom 6 next year. The guy I'd deal if you want to make changes (which I would) is VO. 

Unfortunately I think VO's value is dropping all the time. Part of package deal possibly.

[K-9]

I’ve accepted the fact he will never be a center but he can be an effective winger as long as he isn’t playing with another winger like VO. It’s also obvious that he has become a glue guy on the team and that’s not an unimportant factor for this young team at this current time. 

[matter2003]

Mittelstadt is about to be a 50+ point player...don't think anyone would have predicted that before the season started.

[Pimlach]

7 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I really don't get why some people think Mitts was so great against Philly. Consider perhaps that Tuch is just so freakin' good (and heart and soul Sabre) that he elevates everyone he plays with. 

I already talked about this when he came in last year. It's the Tuch factor. Mitts is still average at best. 

I have never been a big fan but have to admit his game has really improved under DG.  
 

Not sure his current level of play is only “average” for a third liner that can play center and wing and get some PP time.  He is a 50 point player this year and he played most of the season with Olofsson and Jost, not with Tuch and Skinner.   
 

So he is a good 3rd line player that can chip in as a top 6 if injuries occur.  I’m too lazy to compare him to every teams 3rd line forwards but I would suspect he is above average in that role.  
 

I see him on the team next year but with Savioe, Kulich, and maybe some others emerging, he may be gone after that.  

[GASabresIUFAN]

20 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

Mittelstadt is about to be a 50+ point player...don't think anyone would have predicted that before the season started.

I believe I did.

[JohnC]

27 minutes ago, K-9 said:

I’ve accepted the fact he will never be a center but he can be an effective winger as long as he isn’t playing with another winger like VO. It’s also obvious that he has become a glue guy on the team and that’s not an unimportant factor for this young team at this current time. 

In my estimation, he is best suited to be a winger on a third line. (As you noted.) In addition, he also adds value because of his versatility. He can be moved to the center position, even to a higher line due to an injury, and acquit himself well. He's certainly not a first line center but on a temporary basis he can adequately fill a void. I also see his value on the second PP unit.  In general, I would say that he is a solid player. He has a role on this team. 

[nfreeman]

Mitts, like many of his teammates, has definitely taken major steps under DG.  He's become a quality depth scorer who can flex into the top 6 when needed, although you probably don't want to rely on him in that role.  He's always had great hands and his strength on the puck has improved.

IMHO, his biggest weakness has always been poor decision-making, and I continue to see many instances each night where he has the puck and either skates it or passes it into the wrong spot, killing a possession.  He's improved in this regard from dreadful to below average.  I can see it continuing to improve next year.

Mitts turns 25 early next season, which is the last year of his current contract (which was $2.5MM per year x 3 years).  He'll be an RFA after next season, so there isn't an urgent need to give him a big contract or otherwise make a decision on his long-term status here.  I think they'll most likely see how he does next season and then decide. 

In the meantime, if he finishes this season with 50-52 pts, that number plus his contract status makes him a reasonably attractive trade asset -- although as others have noted, he seems pretty well liked by the coaches and his teammates, so perhaps a trade is unlikely.

[SwampD]

28 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I believe I did.

Yep. There were others, as well.

 

[North Buffalo]

I have always liked Mitts, he finally figured out how to play along the boards... he is an elite passer... Yeh is shot is nothing special and occasionally loses his puck in his feet or flubs it... but with the right players that take advantage of his game... plus he now hustles back and have seen him break up many passes... I say keep him for what he is.

[Flashsabre]

He is an interesting player this offseason. He is skilled, is going to put up 50 points, has adapted a more physical role along the boards and protecting pucks and does help out on the back check. He seems to be a big part of the group too.

I can see a lot of teams looking at a 25 year old 50 point player who is playing 3rd line and thinking there can be more growth if we bring him in and put him in our top 6, especially on a reasonable contract.

It will depend on the next wave of kids. If Rousek, Savoie And Kulich all push for spots next fall then Mitts might be the guy packaged for the right piece.

I have no problem with Mitts. Wouldn’t  mind keeping him but if a kid beats him for a spot and the right trade comes along I would move him.

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, matter2003 said:

Mittelstadt is about to be a 50+ point player...don't think anyone would have predicted that before the season started.

As others have pointed out.  You are mistaken.

[Stoner]

[5th line wingnutt]

49 points this year.  previous high was 25.

[dudacek]

9 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

Mitts has definitely changed my mind from him being a bust to that of a talented but flawed player. 

Either through Granato's coaching or his own maturation Casey has truly come to embrace being more of a role player. He'll never be some Top 6 superstar but he can certainly become a high end 3rd line winger with the talent to spot fill the Top 6 as needed.

I'd still give Mitts a bit more credit but mostly agree. It does take talent to even be able to be elevated when you're talking top line play.  

Essentially both Mitts and Krebs have seemed to embrace a bottom 6 role and have become solid players as a result.

I know points aren’t everything, but.

• High-end 3W, statistically, have about 25 points right now.
• Casey’s 49 points would put him in a tie for 28th among NHL left wings (NHL.com still lists him as a C)
• He’s 2 points back of Chris Kreider, 1 behind David Perron, 3 behind Brock Boeser and 5 back of Patrick Kane.
• He’s ahead of guys like Debrusk, Teravainen, Taylor Hall, Tarasenko, Villardi, Bjorkstrand and Neiderreiter.

Can become a high-end 3rd-liner? Statistically this season, he’s already become a high-end 2nd-liner.

And unlike most of the guys above, he’s not actually playing with top-6 linemates.

Edited April 2, 2023 by dudacek

[dudacek]

10 hours ago, ... said:

This last third of the season there have been games where we would not have won if he weren't in the lineup; tonight is an example. 

Coming from someone who wanted him traded halfway through the season I now think Mitts has made himself nearly essential. The guy is out there exerting his will on the game and making good things happen. Have recent fancy stats been posted in this thread?

Anyone who has watched the behind-the-scenes content should clearly discern he has that older brother thing going on with the younger players. If you pay attention to the interviews with the players now they all have a very similar positive, team-is-family, work hard mentality - you might find a player with slightly better stats than Mitts to play regularly in the middle six but you're likely not going to find one who so fluidly allows the nurturing of that mindset while being a good model for the younger players.

 

 

Since Jan. 1 his Corsi is a respectable 52.8%. That’s 5th among Sabre regulars.

It’s also 101st among NHL forwards - again good 2nd-line production. His peers here include Nicushkin, Anders Lee, Tage Thompson and Nikita Kucherov.

 

[Zamboni]

3 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Since Jan. 1 his Corsi is a respectable 52.8%. That’s 5th among Sabre regulars.

It’s also 101st among NHL forwards - again good 2nd-line production. His peers here include Nicushkin, Anders Lee, Tage Thompson and Nikita Kucherov.

 

I honestly believe the hang up some have is they are so fixated on an opinion they have of him 2, 3, 4 years ago, that they don’t want to change their mind even with new data. They don’t want to admit that their earlier assessment and definitive judgement was wrong. And couple that with the tired and flawed opinion that a “1st round forward draft pick must be a top 6 player in the NHL or he’s a bust” mindset. 
 

Mitts has developed slow but well. And I think he has more to give next season. 

[DarthEbriate]

When we claimed Jost off waivers he quite pleasantly surprised me based on his fallout in Minnesota. I've liked Mitts overall but wanted to see more engagement and tenacity away from the puck (or to retrieve it) and really embrace being a bottom-6 guy -- maybe like Angry Larry. I was thinking he might need a change of scenery to get him to that point, but I believe (and hope it increases further) we're seeing that without the change in scenery. A bottom-6 winger who can temporarily fill in at center in the top-6 is a pretty useful handyperson to have. Put some mitts on that handyman and you have a Mittsyman.

And he should grow a beard.

Edited April 2, 2023 by DarthEbriate

[GoPuckYourself]

I see him as a JAG player, he pretty much has been since he's been on the roster. I don't have any agenda towards him I just don't see him as a player who will be here when we are going for the Cup which hopefully starts this year but reality is more likely next year. I'd rather a more physical player take his spot, I know some keep saying he has been more physical this season and I guess at times he is but I'd rather have a more physical grinder, we have a bunch of smallish, skilled forwards like Savoie/Kulich/Östlund/Rosen who all seem to be under 6', so I want physical Dmen and a few physical bottom tier players so when the Flyers/Bruins and plethera of other teams try taking our speed away with checking we can match the intensity, I don't believe (and know) Middlestadt doent bring that element to his game on a regular basis.

[tom webster]

I always suspected that if he grew up a little he would at least be a decent player. He has exceeded my expectations. As LGRM has repeatedly stated, he has actually far out produced his role. 
All that being said, I think he could be a prime trade candidate to balance out the roster. I won’t be disappointed if he is still here, but I also realize that the Sabres are entering that stage in their development were they will trade good players in order to get better.