The Colorado Avalanche have reportedly considered a Casey Mittelstadt trade this season. Mittelstadt initially joined the Avalanche through trade at last year’s NHL trade deadline. The hope was that he could become the team’s second-line center for years to come. To this point, things haven’t exactly worked out like that.
Mittelstadt has played well enough. In fact, he was nearly a point-per-game player in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. This season, he got off to an incredibly fast start. The former first-round pick scored 13 points in the first month of the season. It seemed like the Avalanche star was headed toward a legitimate breakout campaign.
Unfortunately, this has not been the case. Mittelstadt has significantly cooled off since his torrid month of October. In fact, he has not scored more than a single goal in any month since October. He scored six in the season’s opening month.
There is certainly some logic behind Colorado’s decision to consider a trade. The fit has not been perfect since Mittelstadt came over from the Buffalo Sabres. If they can acquire an upgrade, moving his contract makes sense for an Avalanche team looking to win the Stanley Cup.
However, a trade at this time would be quite hasty. Moving on from the 26-year-old now would certainly net a significant return. But holding onto him past the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline could benefit the team more than a trade.
Avalanche already having a lack of scoring depth
The Avalanche stunned the world when they traded Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes. Rantanen was a core member of the team and one of their best offensive producers. The move signaled that anyone on this team could be moved, with the exception of Nathan MacKinnon.
The Avalanche already had scoring depth issues before trading Rantanen. Now, they definitely need added scoring depth. Colorado has received nice performances from Martin Necas and Jack Drury since the trade. In saying this, other players down the lineup need to step up and balance things out.
If Casey Mittelstadt is a third-line center, he is a valuable one. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota native is a gifted playmaker who has shown the ability to score at the NHL level. This is a player who can play a role for a contending team. And until stated otherwise, that’s what the Avalanche are.
Trading one of your best offensive players is a tough pill to swallow. Moving on from a second offensive producer is going to hamper their ability to generate scoring chances. Especially if they want to contend for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Casey Mittelstadt can be moved down the line
Mittelstadt signed a contract extension with the Avalanche over the summer. The 26-year-old put pen to paper on a three-year contract carrying a cap hit of $5.75 million. This contract also contains a modified no-trade clause for the 2026-27 campaign.
The Avalanche could be looking to move on for a number of reasons. However, his contract should not be one of them. $5.75 million is a sizable chunk of change in the NHL for sure. But in a rising cap environment, this is a contract that can be easily moved.
In fact, trading him in the summer for this reason is sound logic. An interested team may be interested in trading for Mittelstadt and his steady cap hit as opposed to signing someone on an inflated cap hit in NHL Free Agency.
Colorado has to get creative to fill its needs. And trading their deadline pickup from last season may be part of that process. However, any trading involving Mittelstaft should not come before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline.
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