Sabres’ Casey Mittelstadt Shocked to Hear Name in Trade Rumors

Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News writes that Mittelstadt has been surprised to hear his name in the rumor mill. He understands the business side of things, but thinks it’s weird he’s considered someone worth keeping an eye on. “It’s actually kind of weird,” Mittelstadt told The Buffalo News following practice Monday. He added, “I was just sitting at home watching NHL Network and all of a sudden, my name is getting thrown around. So, that was surprising to me, to be honest with you. It’s obviously something I’ve never experienced before.”

Don’t Expect the Mittelstadt Trade Rumors to Quiet Down Anytime Soon

As long as the forward doesn’t have a new deal and if the Sabres are looking to make trades based on their position as either a buyer or seller, people will be talking about Mittelstadt.

Lysowski writes:

The speculation was inevitable and won’t stop anytime soon. Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams has not approached Mittelstadt or his agent, Neil Sheehy, to express interest in signing the 2017 first-round draft pick to a long-term contract. Mittelstadt would be a logical candidate. He’s been Buffalo’s most consistent player, a Swiss Army knife that can skate at center or wing in the top six. His impact defensively is also among the best on the team.

It’s not clear if this is an indication of the team’s desire to keep him, but it is odd that he’s one of the few players the Sabres haven’t chatted with yet about sticking around.