Sabres Trade Casey Mittelstadt to Avalanche for Bowen Byram

In a significant move, the Colorado Avalanche have executed their second major deal of the day by acquiring center Casey Mittelstadt from the Buffalo Sabres. The one-for-one trade, as reported by Kevin Weekes of ESPN, sees talented defenseman Bowen Byram heading to the Sabres in exchange for Mittelstadt. To say the least, this deal has surprised a few fans, with views of the move polarizing.

This comes after Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Colorado Avalanche were working on a trade to acquire defenseman Sean Walker from the Philadelphia Flyers. As part of the return, the Flyers will receive a first-round pick from Colorado. Darren Dreger of TSN reports the Avalanche are also sending center Ryan Johansen to the Flyers, who will be placed on waivers, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.

As for the Byram and Mittelstadt trade, multiple insiders add that no additional assets are part of this transaction. It’s a one-for-one deal. Essentially, it’s a hockey trade that moves a defenseman out and brings a forward in. With Walker coming in, Byram became essentially expendable. And, with Mittelstadt having a fantastic year offensively, this adds firepower to the Avs’ top six.