Casey Mittelstadt's next contract

[GASabresIUFAN]

There are about 7 other forwards I’d move before Casey.  Every line Casey is on scores.  It doesn’t matter if he is playing center or wing. He is also our best 2-way forward.  I love that he is shooting and scoring more.  Casey now has 12g 26a 38pts in 44gms. He leads the Sabres in +/-, points, assists and is 4th in goals. 

Edited January 15 by GASabresIUFAN

[French Collection]

11 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

There are about 7 other forwards I’d move before Casey.  Every line Casey is on scores.  It doesn’t matter if he is playing center or wing. He is also our best 2-way forward.  I love that he is shooting and scoring more.  Casey now has 12g 25a 37pts in 44gms. He leads the Sabres in +/-, points, assists and is 4th in goals. 

Will he still care once they show him the $$$?

I think he will continue to play well, at least you’re not overpaying a 29 year old who had a career year as a first time UFA.

[GASabresIUFAN]

7 hours ago, French Collection said:

Will he still care once they show him the $$$?

I think he will continue to play well, at least you’re not overpaying a 29 year old who had a career year as a first time UFA.

Yes.  I think the adversity he went through early in his career made him want to work to get continually better.  You can see his continual growth even during this season.  Early in the year he was pass first and wasn't shooting much. The scorers got hurt and he started shooting more. Even with DC, Tuch, and TNT back, Casey continues to shoot at the elevated pace.  Right now he is the Sabres most consistent, versatile, and best forward.  

Edited January 16 by GASabresIUFAN

[jsb]

1st in points, 1st in assists, 4th in goals, 1st in +/- for the team, a +17 over Cozens in +/-, plays on 1st thru 3rd line, one of the better forwards on the wall and you want to trade this guy, you don't trust him?? I'm guessing some of you then don't trust anyone on the team. He's also 2nd on the team's forwards in TOI. I'm not sure what else you want from this guy. This isn't 2019, he's past that stage, give the man his due, he's playing as well as anyone on the team right now. At his present pace he'll score 70 points this year. You're ok to give a guy 7M for 40 points but you don't want to pay him a decent salary and term. Oh I forgot he doesn't fight so get rid of him 🙄🙄🙄

Edited January 15 by jsb
hit enter key too many times

[Weave]

4 minutes ago, jsb said:

1st in points, 1st in assists, 4th in goals, 1st in +/- for the team, a +17 over Cozens in +/-, plays on 1st thru 3rd line, one of the better forwards on the wall and you want to trade this guy, you don't trust him?? I'm guessing some of you then don't trust anyone on the team. He's also 2nd on the team's forwards in TOI. I'm not sure what else you want from this guy. This isn't 2019, he's past that stage, give the man his due, he's playing as well as anyone on the team right now. At his present pace he'll score 70 points this year. You're ok to give a guy 7M for 40 points but you don't want to pay him a decent salary and term. Oh I forgot he doesn't fight so get rid of him 🙄🙄🙄

Yup.  I don’t trust anyone on this team.

[Thorner]

Just now, Weave said:

Yup.  I don’t trust anyone on this team.

I think almost…maybe everyone on the team could and would be successful in the proper situation. What I don’t trust is the current collection and what it amounts to. How could we

[Weave]

6 minutes ago, Thorny said:

I think almost…maybe everyone on the team could and would be successful in the proper situation. What I don’t trust is the current collection and what it amounts to. How could we

There is that.

And I keep going back to phantom success when players play in roles above them.  They often have better numbers than they should. At least for awhile.

[jsb]

13 minutes ago, Weave said:

Yup.  I don’t trust anyone on this team.

Yep I can go for that but not just him

5 minutes ago, Weave said:

There is that.

And I keep going back to phantom success when players play in roles above them.  They often have better numbers than they should. At least for awhile.

He's playing mostly 3rd line minutes, so he should be on the 4th line??

[Thorner]

6 minutes ago, jsb said:

Yep I can go for that but not just him

He's playing mostly 3rd line minutes, so he should be on the 4th line??

Casey has been great 

[Weave]

2 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Casey has been great 

He’s played way better than I expected, but there isn’t a player/role that I trust right now.

[DarthEbriate]

Casey is also the best forward on the team at throwing a reverse check to protect himself, while continuing to stickhandle and maintain possession of the puck and remain a threat to make a pass. Others might learn, and Tuch is OK, but Casey's good at it.

[sabresparaavida]

He also leads the team in controlled zone entires, which IMO is a pretty big weakness for this team.

[GASabresIUFAN]

The real question is why do Benson and Mitts get it and why don’t most of the rest of the key forwards?  

Why do they get to the right areas, why do they win one on one competitions along the boards?  Why do they get back on D when their teammates don’t? 

I know how hard Mitts worked to improve his two way game and to get stronger along the boards. Now he is looking to score.  

Once Benson figures out how to score in the NHL he will be unstoppable as he does everything else well already.  

Makes you wonder if Mitts should be one of the players who receive a letter.

 

[GoPuckYourself]

If we pay Casey Middlestadt then this team deserves all the criticism it gets on a yearly basis. Casey is a complimentary player, he will never produce 30 goals, jury is out that he can even score 20 in a season. I keep comparing him to Drew Stafford which I still think is a fair comparison, Drew was a good complimentary player but never should have recieved that 4M per year deal. Stafford eclipsed 20 goals 3 times and 1 30 goal season, all the other seasons were Middlestadtish 12 goals, here 15 goals there, you absolutely cannot pay Middlestadt say 5.5-6.5M it just doesn't make any sense. This right now would be the absolute perfect time toi ship out Casey for an established top 4 D man with our 1st round pick or a prospect like Savoie, we should not be even thinking of drafting a player with the 1st round pick whatsoever, this pick should be used to help bolster the core that our GM has given contracts to and Casey should not be in the core of players not because I think he's a bad player, he isn't but for reasons stated earlier above but that's just my opinion and the way it looks I may be in the minority on this.

[mjd1001]

I think there can be a middle ground, but it all depends on the cost.  Samuelsson is slgned long term, so does that make him part of 'the core'?  Maybe, but he certainly isn't as good as/as valuable as Dahlin or Power's potential.

So, can you sign Mitts to a long term deal but have him be the 4th-7th best forward on this team?  He still would be part of the core, correct?

As far as how good he is...he is not al all star caliber player, but he is valuable. He seem to be a 20 goal, 50 assist guy. More importantly, it appears he would be a good 2nd line guy, but if you need to bump him up to the first line, he can adjust and help linemates without brining them down.  He can and maybe SHOULD be a 'core' guy, but I think he can be that without being a 'star'.

[thewookie1]

My hope would be to convince him at 4x5.75mil as it gives him and the Sabres flexibility 

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 hour ago, GoPuckYourself said:

If we pay Casey Middlestadt then this team deserves all the criticism it gets on a yearly basis. Casey is a complimentary player, he will never produce 30 goals, jury is out that he can even score 20 in a season. I keep comparing him to Drew Stafford which I still think is a fair comparison, Drew was a good complimentary player but never should have recieved that 4M per year deal. Stafford eclipsed 20 goals 3 times and 1 30 goal season, all the other seasons were Middlestadtish 12 goals, here 15 goals there, you absolutely cannot pay Middlestadt say 5.5-6.5M it just doesn't make any sense. This right now would be the absolute perfect time toi ship out Casey for an established top 4 D man with our 1st round pick or a prospect like Savoie, we should not be even thinking of drafting a player with the 1st round pick whatsoever, this pick should be used to help bolster the core that our GM has given contracts to and Casey should not be in the core of players not because I think he's a bad player, he isn't but for reasons stated earlier above but that's just my opinion and the way it looks I may be in the minority on this.

LOL

So the guy who has improved every year since DG took over, who is our most versatile player, our best playmaker, our best 2 way forward, our leading scorer, and our best forward in zone entries shouldn't get a contract.  Thank G-d you aren't the GM.  

Did our lousy GM give Cozens a contract too early?  Did our lousy GM give Power and Samuelsson contracts too early?  Probably! However, that's not Mitts' fault.  Unlike those players, Mitts has earned his new contract.  

Your comparison to Stafford is a terrible one.  Drew was a streaky goal-scorer and not much of a playmaker.  He did remake himself into a good defensive forward late in his career, but Mitts and Stafford have otherwise nothing in common.

By the way, anyone who thinks Mitts is signed for $5 mill per season or less, especially if he finishes with 70 points or more this season, is in for a rude awakening.

 

Edited January 17 by GASabresIUFAN

[GoPuckYourself]

2 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

LOL

So the guy who has improved every year since DG took over, who is our most versatile player, our best playmaker, our best 2 way forward, our leading scorer, and our best forward in zone entries shouldn't get a contract.  Thank G-d you aren't the GM.  

Did our lousy GM give Cozens a contract too early?  Did our lousy GM give Power and Samuelsson contracts too early?  Probably! However, that's not Mitts' fault.  Unlike those players, Mitts has earned his new contract.  

Your comparison to Stafford is a terrible one.  Drew was a streaky goal-scorer and not much of a playmaker.  He did remake himself into a good defensive forward late in his career, but Mitts and Stafford have otherwise nothing in common.

 

Agree to disagree then?

[GASabresIUFAN]

6 minutes ago, GoPuckYourself said:

Agree to disagree then?

Sure.  I can understand wanting to trade a forward to get a top 4 D, especially given our forward pipeline.  However, Mitts is the wrong player.  We don't have enough playmakers and we certainly lack forwards who play a good 2 way game.  We also lack centers.  Skinner is on the top of my list to move.  Sadly, he has a NMC and a huge salary.    

That said, I think we can get a top 4 D by moving 1 or 2 of our top forward prospects.  Savoie is on the top of my list to be traded.  

 

Edited January 17 by GASabresIUFAN

[sabresparaavida]

2 hours ago, GoPuckYourself said:

If we pay Casey Middlestadt then this team deserves all the criticism it gets on a yearly basis. Casey is a complimentary player, he will never produce 30 goals, jury is out that he can even score 20 in a season. I keep comparing him to Drew Stafford which I still think is a fair comparison, Drew was a good complimentary player but never should have recieved that 4M per year deal. Stafford eclipsed 20 goals 3 times and 1 30 goal season, all the other seasons were Middlestadtish 12 goals, here 15 goals there, you absolutely cannot pay Middlestadt say 5.5-6.5M it just doesn't make any sense. This right now would be the absolute perfect time toi ship out Casey for an established top 4 D man with our 1st round pick or a prospect like Savoie, we should not be even thinking of drafting a player with the 1st round pick whatsoever, this pick should be used to help bolster the core that our GM has given contracts to and Casey should not be in the core of players not because I think he's a bad player, he isn't but for reasons stated earlier above but that's just my opinion and the way it looks I may be in the minority on this.

Drew Srafford’s Career best was 52 points, something Mitts has already surpassed.

Edited January 17 by sabresparaavida

[GASabresIUFAN]

@GoPuckYourself

By the way, I do agree that the kids are going to force some tough choices among our forwards and we can't keep everyone.  However, I can make a good argument to keep our top 8 forwards.

JJP, Quinn, and Benson are on their ELCs and have so much potential, thus they shouldn't be traded.

Tuch is a heart and soul local guy whose game has blossomed in Buffalo and is on a cheap contract so he shouldn't be traded.

TNT proved he was a top forward last season by scoring 40+ goals and 90+ points.  How many 90 pt guys do you only have to pay $7 mill? Therefore he shouldn't be traded

Cozens is so young and already has a 30-goal campaign, no way he should be traded and we lack good centers anyway.

Mitts is our leading scorer, best 2 way forward, best playmaker, and most versatile player. He needs to be re-signed because we lack centers, playmakers, and forwards with a 2-way game.

Skinner is a guaranteed 30-40 goal scorer who isn't going anywhere because of his NMC and huge contract.  He is also one of the few Sabres who plays with an edge.

How does an underperforming team keep all these guys and while making room for younger cheaper players like Savoie, Kulich, Rosen, and Östlund?  

I think part of the answer is our GM is going to have to start using some bridge contracts.  He is also going to have to move out some prospects and players depending on who blossoms and at what positions.  I can see Tuch not being re-signed.  I can also see Skinner being moved.  

 

 

 

[GoPuckYourself]

12 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Sure.  I can understand wanting to trade a forward to get a top 4 D, especially given our forward pipeline.  However, Mitts is the wrong player.  We don't have enough playmakers and we certainly lack forwards who play a good 2 way game.  We also lack centers.  Skinner is on the top of my list to move.  Sadly, he has a NMC and a huge salary.    

That said, I think we can get a top 4 D by moving 1 or 2 of our top forward prospects.  Savoie is on the top of my list to be traded.  

 

I just disagree, I think it's a mirage since he's never been a good 2 way player until this year in his contract year no less. Again i don't think he's a bad player at all I just don't think for what he does he's worth the contract he's about to get. I agree nobody is touching Skinners contract so it's not even an option. 

I'd say 1 of our prospects and our 1st to get that top D but Adams has not shown at anytime that he will or wants to part with any of them even if they're all the same so a player who's in the last year of his deal makes a bit more sense if thats the case. 

3 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

@GoPuckYourself

By the way, I do agree that the kids are going to force some tough choices among our forwards and we can't keep everyone.  However, I can make a good argument to keep our top 8 forwards.

JJP, Quinn, and Benson are on their ELCs and have so much potential, thus they shouldn't be traded.

Tuch is a heart and soul local guy whose game has blossomed in Buffalo and is on a cheap contract so he shouldn't be traded.

TNT proved he was a top forward last season by scoring 40+ goals and 90+ points.  How many 90 pt guys do you only have to pay $7 mill? Therefore he shouldn't be traded

Cozens is so young and already has a 30-goal campaign, no way he should be traded and we lack good centers anyway.

Mitts is our leading scorer, best 2 way forward, best playmaker, and most versatile player. He needs to be re-signed because we lack centers, playmakers, and forwards with a 2-way game.

Skinner is a guaranteed 30-40 goal scorer who isn't going anywhere because of his NMC and huge contract.  He is also one of the few Sabres who plays with an edge.

How does an underperforming team keep all these guys and while making room for younger cheaper players like Savoie, Kulich, Rosen, and Östlund?  

I think part of the answer is our GM is going to have to start using some bridge contracts.  He is also going to have to move out some prospects and players depending on who blossoms and at what positions.  I can see Tuch not being re-signed.  I can also see Skinner being moved.  

 

 

 

Arent Savoie, Kulich and Östlund center prospects?

[GoPuckYourself]

22 minutes ago, sabresparaavida said:

Drew Srafford’s Career best was 52 points, something Mitts has already surpassed.

Middlestadts best was 59. 

[Hank]

14 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

@GoPuckYourself

By the way, I do agree that the kids are going to force some tough choices among our forwards and we can't keep everyone.  However, I can make a good argument to keep our top 8 forwards.

JJP, Quinn, and Benson are on their ELCs and have so much potential, thus they shouldn't be traded.

Tuch is a heart and soul local guy whose game has blossomed in Buffalo and is on a cheap contract so he shouldn't be traded.

TNT proved he was a top forward last season by scoring 40+ goals and 90+ points.  How many 90 pt guys do you only have to pay $7 mill? Therefore he shouldn't be traded

Cozens is so young and already has a 30-goal campaign, no way he should be traded and we lack good centers anyway.

Mitts is our leading scorer, best 2 way forward, best playmaker, and most versatile player. He needs to be re-signed because we lack centers, playmakers, and forwards with a 2-way game.

Skinner is a guaranteed 30-40 goal scorer who isn't going anywhere because of his NMC and huge contract.  He is also one of the few Sabres who plays with an edge.

How does an underperforming team keep all these guys and while making room for younger cheaper players like Savoie, Kulich, Rosen, and Östlund?  

I think part of the answer is our GM is going to have to start using some bridge contracts.  He is also going to have to move out some prospects and players depending on who blossoms and at what positions.  I can see Tuch not being re-signed.  I can also see Skinner being moved.  

 

 

 

I love Mitts as much as you do, but I think he's either signed or moved for a D based on the number/term he wants. Sadly I agree with you on Tuch maybe being the odd man out. I think it's more likely than not Skinners last two years are bought out. I think Kulich and Rosen are on the team next year and Östlund and Savoie will be in Rochester. I think after next season is the earliest KA would trade one of the four, if he trades one at all. 

[TageMVP]

Re-visit a trade for Stamkos