Buffalo Sabres Send Mittelstadt To Colorado

The Buffalo Sabres made a trade today with the Colorado Avalanche with hopes of beefing up their defense.

The NHL Trade Deadline was looming this Friday and Sabres fans were wondering if they would be making any trades.  The Sabres didn't wait.  They made a move today and sent a former 8th overall draft pick to Colorado.

What was the deal?

This was a pretty simple, straight up deal.  The Sabres are sending forward Casey Mittelstadt to Colorado in exchange for defenseman Bowen Byram.

Who are we getting in return?

Bowen Byram is a young defenseman who is pretty solid.  They definitely got a little younger with Byram.  He's only 22 years old.  He's racked up eight goals and 20 points in 55 games for the Avalanche so far this season.  Byram is originally from Cranbrook, BC, and was the fourth overall draft pick of the 2019 entry draft.

Mittlestadt was our 8th overall draft pick

Mittelstadt is a popular player with Buffalo.  When they talked about "players who want to be here,"  Mittelstadt seemed to always be one of them.  He was their 8th overall draft pick in the 2017 Draft.  He's been the Sabres leading scorer this year with 14 goals and 33 assists (47 points).  This was the final year of his 3-year contract and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the year.

One comment seemed to stand out after the Sabres made the announcement.  While the Sabres are having trouble on the offensive side, they're trading for a defenseman.  Byram seems to be a solid player though and could make for a scary trio alongside Dahlin and Power.