The Avalanche’s No. 2 center Casey Mittelstadt was listed as a potential trade target by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli on Monday.
The addition was made days after Vancouver traded J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers. Multiple sources have since indicated the Avalanche were among the teams interested in the 31-year-old center. Given Miller’s $8 million AAV, it’s likely that any Avs trade offer would’ve included Mittelstadt.
Here’s what Seravalli said about Mittelstadt in the updated Trade Targets Board:
“Given that both Mittelstadt and Bowen Byram are on our Targets board, it’s fair to say that neither [Buffalor or Colorado] has been enthralled with the one-for-one swap that was one of the true surprises of Deadline 2024. Unlike Byram, Mittelstadt is at least under contract for two seasons beyond this one, so he would provide a little cost certainty moving forward. He just hasn’t quite been a fit, or as productive, in Jared Bednar’s lineup and we’re told the Avalanche are willing to shake things up if they can find the right deal.”
Mittelstadt is a tough player to evaluate. After last year’s swap for Byram, it took the 26-year-old a little bit of time to adjust to a new team and system. But he eventually found his game and was excellent in the No. 2 center role behind Nathan MacKinnon in the playoffs. Mittelstadt had three goals and nine points in 11 postseason games.
But this season hasn’t quite delivered the same results. Mittestadt exploded out of the gate in October and had 13 points in Colorado’s first 10 games. He’s since seen his production take a massive dip, compiling just 19 points in his last 44 games. Bednar has downgraded Mittelstadt to both the third and four-line center role throughout this stretch with hopes of snapping him back into form.
In recent games, Mittelstadt has consistently played back in the 2C spot alongside wingers Juuso Parssinen and either Jonathan Drouin or Artturi Lehkonen.
In 83 total games between the regular season and playoffs with the Avalanche, Mittelstadt has 16 goals, 35 assists, and 51 points with a -14 rating and 121 shots on goal.
My Thoughts
I do believe the Avs want to upgrade the 2C position but I’m still struggling with how they go about it. Miller was such an obvious fit given his track record and cost certainty for several years beyond this season. It would’ve been a great acquisition. But now that he’s off the board, what can Chris MacFarland do before March 7?
On one hand, there could be centers he’s looking at that aren’t necessarily being talked about on the trade market. We’ve seen the Avs front office operate in secrecy like this in the past. But on the other hand, if they don’t have anyone specific in mind, it might be best to keep Mittelstadt until the summer and see who becomes available.
Trading Mittelstadt in a panic move isn’t going to help this team. But another option could be to acquire a rental who could slot in as 2C and push Mittelstadt down to 3C for the remainder of this season. Then in the summer, you can reassess whether Mittelstadt deserves another shot at 2C or if he’s traded for a player who becomes available when the cap climbs to $95.5 million and other teams start to re-work their rosters. Mittelstadt’s playoff production can also help you make this decision.
Either way, the fact that Mittelstadt has been mentioned among NHL Insiders is still worthwhile news. This might be something to keep an eye on over the next four and a half weeks.
