Quoting: MeetYourMakar
No he can't. I've followed him since jr and he is not defensively engaged or reliable enough to be a center. Would be a miss placed and over priced bottom 6er who doesn't play special teams(without forcing a spot for him).
Edit- Middlshat has to figure out how to be an nhl player or Europe is his most likely next desitation.
Quoting: coga16
He can not,
Quoting: BUFF36
Buffalo Declines, that prospect might not even be in are top 25. Mitts might have his flaws, but he's worth more than that.
Quoting: Czu8iks
This package is not getting you Mittelstadt. Only trade involving him has to be as part of bigger trade, or side trade when bigger player is acquired.
Quoting: Wqrrior
Sounds like the same path of Jost
Quoting: Xqb15a
Mittlestadt is BUF’s Jost imo.
Quoting: RasmusASSplund
I wouldn’t go that far to say he’d be out of the league. He’ll be in the league for a few years, ...but he’s better on the wing...
Quoting: sabres89
I agree with so much of this, I don't think it's effort that's holding him back though. He's not fast enough or strong enough to make room for himself or anybody else, you combine that with poor decision making, and a real knack for poor defensive play, with kinda average offensive numbers, and you get a guy that's just good enough to stick around.
Quoting: Fox_Czar_Cup
If you're building a winner, no
Here is the Skinny.
After 10 games Casey appeared to find his game.
He was on pace for nearly 60 pts and winning about 55% of his face offs.
Then he fell asleep and noticabley stopped even trying.
Dumping the puck into the offensive zone and avoiding any contact while the puck was skated out by the defensive team.
He was a different skater, not caring about the outcome of the game.
I was bemused that Granato would allow him to be so lazy.
Then the Sabres picked up Jost (interesting comparison, except Casey has never been put on waivers) and Casey's game was revived.
He has played well his last 20 or so games which has coincided with Olofsson scoring out burst.
He is now skating the puck into the offensive zone.
Going into the corners to dig out loose pucks and not giving up on the play.
Does he struggle in the defensive zone, yeh but other than the Krebs line all of the forwards perform poorly there.
Put him on Compher's (Jost on steroids) wing with a sniper (ala Olofsson) and he would do just fine, better than he has done for Buffalo.
Let me close, if Granato has kept Casey in the line up, Don must trust Casey's skill set and performance.
That is enough for me to think Casey has earned a spot in the line up.
As to the trade, Buffalo may accept it as it includes a D-man, prospect and a pick.
But if Buffalo were to trade Casey, he would most likely be part of a package for a better player, and not a package of players for him as per
@Czu8iks.