Insider: Sabres Shopping Casey Mittelstadt "Hard"

Casey Mittelstadt is having a career year this season, leading the Buffalo Sabres with 42 points in 50 games, and is on pace to shatter his personal-best of 15 goals, with 12 to this point. But the pending restricted free agent is missing one thing this season—a contract extension.

And while all of the rest of the Sabres' core has gotten paid and gotten term—Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson—it doesn't seem that Mittelstadt is going to be.

And as insider Elliotte Friedman said this morning about Mittelstadt and the Sabres: "If you're not going to pay somebody, you've got a problem."

In fact, according to hockey Insider and former NHLer Andrew Peters, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams is shopping Mittelstadt "hard":

Per @TheInstigator76 from @AfterLeWhistle, Kevyn Adams is actively shopping Casey Mittelstadt and is also looking for a goaltender. #LetsGoBuffalo pic.twitter.com/XVT4xUwSwi
— 2 Goalies 1 Mic (@2Goalies1Mic) February 9, 2024

"I have heard from a very reliable source that Kevyn Adams is shopping Casey Mittelstadt hard; doesn't want to pay him," said Peters.

Insider Elliotte Friedman has heard something very similar, as reported on his 32 Thoughts podcast Friday morning:

If you're not going to pay him, he's not going to be happy. And that doesn't mean Casey Mittelstadt is a bad guy, but what it does mean is that he's going to look at everybody around him and say, 'all these guys got paid and I didn't'.

If you're not going to play him, you almost have to move him.

Friedman adds that there are plenty of scouts following the Sabres. Buffalo likely won't have too much trouble finding a taker for the former No. 8 overall selection (2017 NHL Draft) having his best season. The 25-year-old has a plus/minus rating of +9, while logging 18:30 of ice time per night.

His $2.5 million cap hit expires after the year, at which point the RFA will have arbitration rights this summer.

Photo: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports