Avalanche trade Bowen Byram to Buffalo Sabres for Casey Mittelstadt
The Colorado Avalanche traded defenseman Bowen Byram to the Buffalo Sabres for center Casey Mittelstadt.
Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports - Avalanche trade Bowen Byram to Buffalo Sabres for Casey MittelstadtBowen Byram has been traded by the Colorado Avalanche to the Buffalo Sabres for Casey Mittelstadt, the team announced Wednesday.
Mittelstadt notched 47 points in 62 games for the Sabres this season. He led the team in both assists and points and ranked tied for sixth in goals. The 25-year-old did not miss a game this season and set career-highs for even-strength goals (12) and average time on ice (18:16).
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound forward tallied 186 points in 339 regular-season NHL games with the Sabres from 2017-24. Mittelstadt had a career-high season last year both in goals (15) and assists (44) in all 82 games.
The Eden Prairie, Minnesota native was drafted by the Sabres eighth overall in 2017 and played one season for the NCAA’s Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2017-18. While playing collegiate hockey, he earned 30 points in 34 games to rank second on the team in scoring as a freshman before signing his entry-level contract with the Sabres.
Mittelstadt won a bronze medal with Team USA at the 2018 World Junior Championship. He led the team in scoring with 11 points and was teammates with Avalanche prospect Riley Tufte.
Byram was drafted by the Avs fourth overall in 2019 and played in 146 regular-season games from 2020-24. The 22-year-old defenseman earned 63 regular-season points and 12 points over 27 postseason games. He was part of the 2022 Stanley Cup Championship team with the Avalanche.
According to puckpedia.com, Mittelstadt is in the last year of his contract at $2.5 million and will become a restricted free agent after this season. Byram's contract was $3.85 million for this season.