Colorado Avalanche Sign Casey Mittelstadt to Three-Year Contract Extension

Newly extended Casey Mittelstadt combined for 19 points in 29 games with the Colorado Avalanche in the regular season and playoffs after the Buffalo Sabres traded him.

Not every NHL playoff contender must make a big move just for the sake of it. These three teams are better off being patient, says Adam Proteau.

The Colorado Avalanche signed one of their trade deadline acquisitions to a new contract.

Center Casey Mittelstadt signed a three-year contract extension, the Avalanche announced Tuesday. While the team didn't announce the cap hit, it's reported to be worth $5.75 million annually.

Mittelstadt was a pending RFA, and the move takes the 25-year-old to be UFA-eligible in the summer of 2027. His new cap hit more than doubles his previous one, which was $2.5 million annually on a three-year contract.

The eighth-overall pick in 2017 played parts of seven seasons for the Buffalo Sabres before they traded him to the Avalanche in exchange for defenseman Bowen Byram before the trade deadline. Mittelstadt then recorded four goals and six assists for 10 points in 18 games with Colorado before adding three goals and nine points in 11 playoff games, the first of his career.

“Casey was a great fit for our lineup and a big contributor to our team down the stretch and in the playoffs,” Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland said in a press release. “His game has improved every season, and he took yet another big jump this past year. We believe he has an even higher level to reach, and it was important to get him signed for several years.”

Mittelstadt nearly tied his career high in points this season, with his 57 points in 80 games narrowly coming short of his 59 points in 82 games with the Sabres in 2022-23.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound forward from Eden Prairie, Minn., played most of his minutes in the playoffs centering a line between Zach Parise and Arturri Lehkonen, according to moneypuck.com. While Parise said he doesn't plan to return to the NHL next season, Mittelstadt also played at times with Mikko Rantanen, Valeri Nichushkin and Jonathan Drouin. Nichushkin is currently in Phase 3 of the NHL and NHLPA Player Assistance Program until at least mid-November, while Drouin is a pending UFA.

With the signing, the Avalanche have about $11.36 in cap space with 13 of 23 roster spots filled, according to PuckPedia. They have 10 pending UFAs, including Mittelstadt's fellow trade deadline acquisition, defenseman Sean Walker.

Get the latest news and trending stories right to your inbox by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here.