Seven trade destinations to watch for Avalanche’s Casey Mittelstadt

Credit: Nov 29, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Casey Mittelstadt (37) in action during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

With just more than four weeks until the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline on March 7, we’re delivering at least one deadline-focused story every day at Daily Faceoff.

Today, we explore potential destinations for a player who could be moved at the deadline a second consecutive year: Casey Mittelstadt, who landed at No. 5 on Frank Seravalli’s Trade Targets board earlier this week.

2025 NHL Trade Deadline Countdown: 30 Days

Every time we think we understand who Casey Mittelstadt is, the script flips. As a Buffalo Sabre, he was a prodigious prospect, a World Junior Championship MVP with potential to become a marquee scorer and lift the franchise out of dark times. That never materialized, and the underachieving but talented center was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche last season in a change-of-scenery swap for fellow first-rounder Bowen Byram.

Mittelstadt looked like a strong fit as Colorado’s new No. 2 center – particularly in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, when he flashed signs of the stardom that was promised back when he was torching the Minnesota high school hockey circuit and starring in the NCAA for the Golden Gophers. The Avs were impressed enough to hand him a three-year extension at a $5.75 million AAV over the summer.

That was then. He’s since fallen back into underachiever mode, looking more like a No. 3 center than the No. 2 Colorado needs. Mittelstadt still rates as an above-average play driver offensively despite his modest nine goals and 32 points in 54 games, but he’s a zero in terms of generating shots and scoring chances himself, always opting to pass, and he’s an absolute black hole defensively. The Avs generate just 44.38 percent of the expected goals with him on the ice at 5-on-5 this season, placing him last among all their forwards other than grinder Chris Wagner.

Still, Mittelstadt is 26, he’s a good playmaker with silky hands, and he carries some upside for a suitor looking for help up the middle for a couple seasons. The Avs could be motivated to deal him too, having proven to be extremely aggressive in their trading this season. Seriously: if they’re willing to trade Mikko friggin’ Rantanen, anything’s possible. Who would be a good fit for Mittelstadt? Consider these seven destinations.

Boston Bruins

Why he makes sense: The Bruins have been chasing it at center since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired. Last season, they made due with Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle having career years. They added Elias Lindholm on a big contract over the summer, but he hasn’t performed like a No. 2 pivot, let alone a No. 1. That’s not to say Mittelstadt has the chops to step in as a top-line center, but the Bruins desperately need someone with purely offensive instincts. David Pastrnak can’t do all the scoring by himself. While Mittelstadt isn’t a goal scorer, he’d certainly help the other Bruins score more.

Fly in the ointment: The Bruins will get blueliner Hampus Lindholm back from LTIR before the regular season ends, and they’ll be rammed up against the salary cap when his $6.5 million goes back on the books. Mittelstadt doesn’t fit unless they dump a contract Colorado’s way. That works if the Avs seek a hockey trade, but it doesn’t if they’re simply looking to unload Mittelstadt’s cap hit.

Calgary Flames

Why he makes sense: The Flames aren’t traditional buyers or sellers at the moment; they’re in a fascinating tweener zone, far more competitive than anyone expected this season, forcing GM Craig Conroy to pull his top veterans off the trade block and fuelling the big trade Calgary made last week. Their move added some relatively young talent with plausible remaining upside in Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee. They could repeat the idea by buying low on Mittelstadt. One possibility would be trading Nazem Kadri back to Colorado, with whom he won a Stanley Cup in 2022. He carries a $7 million AAV for four more years and is 31 years old. Would Calgary be willing to move off him if the Avs incentivized a deal and attached a pick or prospect to Mittelstadt? The Flames would get younger and gain cap flexibility, while the Avs would reacquire the exact player they’ve badly missed from their lineup for three years.

Fly in the ointment: The Flames already took a chance on a disappointing, playmaking first-round center in Frost last week. Do they need another one in Mittelstadt? He’s not the perfect fit from a pure X’s and O’s standpoint. This plan would’ve made far more sense a week ago.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Why he makes sense: The Blue Jackets have been an amazing story this season, grieving the tragic death of Johnny Gaudreau and remaining competitive in the Eastern Conference. That’s despite a slew of long-term injuries they’ve endured; captain Boone Jenner hasn’t played yet this season, first-line center Sean Monahan is out with a wrist injury and breakout right winger Kirill Marchenko just broke his jaw. Top blueliner Zach Werenski is banged up, too. If Columbus wants to stay in the race while it waits for its wounded to return, Mittelstadt could paper over the hole at center. They have plenty of cap space to fit Mittelstadt’s full AAV, too.

Fly in the ointment: If Colorado wants to move Mittelstadt while simultaneously trying to upgrade for the playoffs, does Columbus still make sense as a trade partner? Maybe if they parted with Jenner, but would the Jackets want to move their captain during a playoff push? They’d fit better if the Avs were looking purely to dump salary as a step toward a separate trade.

Minnesota Wild

Why he makes sense: Talk about a fun fit on paper. The Wild need another middle-six center and preferably one with term. Teenaged Mittelstadt was a Minnesota hockey legend. What a fun homecoming that would be.

Fly in the ointment: The Avs and Wild are in direct competition as Central Division rivals. While the notion that teams won’t trade within their division is often overblown, it isn’t when the clubs in question are separated by a couple points in the standings. And who goes the other way? If, for instance, it was someone like Ryan Hartman, well, now you have to deal with Hartman as your division rival. The trade would fit better if the two teams weren’t both contenders.

New York Islanders

Why he makes sense: Strong in Lou, the denial is. A recent seven-game winning streak has powered the Isles back into the Eastern Conference Wildcard race. At the same time, they’re without their top defenseman in Noah Dobson and top forward in Mathew Barzal, both out indefinitely, with blueliner Ryan Pulock and several other key vets hurt, too. The smart play would be to cash out pending UFA chips Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, but if Lamoriello really wants to hedge, would a Mittelstadt/Nelson swap make sense? It would give the Isles cost certainty with a new second-line center and ensure they don’t lose Nelson for nothing.

Fly in the ointment: Mittelstadt would make for a fine stopgap, but I would argue the Isles need much more of a fundamental overhaul. If they deal Nelson, it should be for picks and prospects, and the Avs aren’t swimming in those. Their farm system isn’t deep with blue-chippers, and they’ve already traded their 2025 first-round pick.

Philadelphia Flyers

Why he makes sense: The Flyers are pretty forthcoming about their intentions under GM Danny Briere. They need to improve at center, badly. They pulled the plug on Frost and have pitched the Sabres on a Dylan Cozens reclamation project. Mittelstadt would represent a similar idea, and two more years of cost certainty would appeal to a team remaining fairly conservative in its rebuilding process.

Fly in the ointment: You got out from under Frost…is Mittelstadt all that much better? He has reached a higher ceiling at the NHL level, but he’s not a model of consistency and could quickly land in coach John Tortorella’s dog house. The Flyers probably need to aim higher in their hunt for a center, which is why Cozens makes more sense as a target.

Winnipeg Jets

Why he makes sense: We know the Jets are all-in, and we know they need a No. 2 center to sandwich between Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry on their depth chart. Mittelstadt torched the Jets for six points in five games to help Colorado eliminate them in Round 1 of the playoffs last year. They’ve seen firsthand what Mittelstadt can do when he’s on his game. They also have the cap space to accommodate him.

Fly in the ointment: The Jets have the same division-rival hangup as the Wild. It could be a non-starter. Also: Mittelstadt might address a team need for Winnipeg, but what would go Colorado’s way? Here’s another scenario in which the Avs would probably need to accept a mid-range prospect as part of a salary dump, then hunt elsewhere for their new No. 2 center.

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