The Colorado Avalanche made a bold trade for Casey Mittelstadt at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. Colorado needed a second-line center heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Avalanche traded for Ryan Johansen in the offseason, but the move did not work out. As a result, they traded Bowen Byram straight up to the Sabres for Mittelstadt.
Mittelstadt needed some time to adjust to his new team. He played well enough, scoring 10 points in 16 games to end the regular season. However, he truly settled in during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Mittelstadt scored three goals and nine points in 11 postseason contests. The Avalanche were eliminated by the Dallas Stars in the second round. But the fit in Colorado seemed right for Mittelstadt.
This optimism continued at the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign. He scored six goals and 13 points in the first month of the season. It seemed as if Mittelstadt was on the verge of a breakout campaign. Unfortunately, that has not come to pass. He has just three goals and 19 points dating back to November.
In recent weeks, the Colorado center has started popping up on trade boards. Moreover, it appears as if these trade board placements are more than pure speculation. “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,” Daily Faceoff insider Frank Seravalli wrote of his including Mittelstadt in his most recent trade board.
If the Avalanche are willing to deal, there should be suitors. There are a number of teams who could use Mittelstadt’s services. For now, let’s take a look at the two best trade destinations for the Avalanche star before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline.
Casey Mittelstadt is a fit for the Bruins
Colorado Avalanche center Casey Mittelstadt (37) in action during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche at American Airlines Center. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The Boston Bruins are fighting for their playoff lives at this point in the 2024-25 campaign. The Bruins are one point back of the Detroit Red Wings for the final Wild Card spot in the East. However, they are also a team that needs some sort of spark to get going.
The Bruins need help preventing goals, which Mittelstadt likely won’t be able to do. However, this is a team that needs added center depth, as well. This has been a need in Boston since the duel retirements of David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron.
Mittelstadt is not a top-line center, which they desperately need. In saying this, he can play as an effective middle-six pivot. He can provide needed playmaking in the middle of the lineup. And he could help spark some of the team’s wingers such as Charlie Coyle and Morgan Geekie.
The Bruins also need an offensive spark as much as they need added defensive reinforcement. Boston has scored 2.75 Goals For Per Game, according to ESPN. This is the eighth-lowest Goals For Per Game in the league. Moreover, only the New York Islanders score fewer goals per game among Eastern Conference teams.
Mittelstadt won’t solve all of Boston’s issues. However, he is a center with room to grow who certainly improves the team’s depth down the middle of the ice. It would be a smart addition for general manager Don Sweeney to make at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline.
The Jets need a center like Avalanche’s Casey Mittelstadt
The Winnipeg Jets are in need of a second line center this season. Winnipeg made a trade for Sean Monahan last year to fill this role. Monahan played well before joining the Columbus Blue Jackets in NHL Free Agency over the summer.
The Jets are the class of the NHL at this time. In fact, Winnipeg is the only team to reach the 80-point mark in the NHL to this point. This is a team that has had some brutal luck in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In the same vein, they look the part of a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
Monahan’s departure for the Blue Jackets re-created the need for a second-line center in Winnipeg. This is still a role the team must improve before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline on March 7th. Mittelstadt would certainly help fill this role.
The Avalanche may not want to trade with a Central Division team, to be fair. In any event, the move makes sense for the Jets to pursue in the very least. Mittelstadt could jumpstart a second line featuring Nikolaj Ehlers and Cole Perfetti.
The Jets and Avalanche could take trade discussions down to the wire. In any event, the fit in Winnipeg for Mittelstadt is clear. If Winnipeg can land the 25-year-old, it could be a very crucial move for a potentially deep playoff run.
