New Jersey Devils: 3 Restricted Free Agents Worth The Price

Casey Mittelstadt

Casey Mittelstadt has never lived up to the hype that came with the 2018 World Junior Championship performance. He was considered possibly the best hockey prospect on the planet when that was done. However, since then it’s been a comedy of errors for his career, and he is one of the reasons there is so much frustration in Buffalo. Massive hype leads to devastating lows for the fanbase. Now, the team is likely going to lose Jack Eichel for a trade package that is much smaller than what it should have been because of a fight over a neck surgery.

MIttelstadt finally had a decent season in the NHL, but it came with two very disappointing seasons before it. Also, he only scored 22 points in 41 games. It’s not like he lit the world on fire. The Sabres were so very awful last season, so taking point totals are not the best way to assess his season.

The advanced stats are exciting when we really look at them. Mittelstadt’s CF% is not great. He’s at 46.7%, which is somehow right in the middle of a very bad Sabres team. Now, look a little closer. His high-danger chance percentage is much, much better. He sits at 52.11%. His line was averaging more than two high-danger chances per game.

With a legitimate offense, Mittelstadt might actually find his ceiling. For years, he’s been all hope and no flash. Maybe with the Devils, he could get flash. The Devils would offer a similar deal as Yamamoto. However, the Sabres don’t have the same cap issues as the Oilers. So, they would be looking at Mittelstadt as worth a 2nd-round pick and not worth a long-term commitment. It’s possible, but this one seems less likely.