Don Granato’s confidence in Casey Mittelstadt can be traced as far back as March 2021, when Granato was appointed as interim head coach of the Sabres.
Mittelstadt had spent much of that COVID-inflicted season on the taxi squad. Granato took over with a month and a half remaining and a plan to thrust a group of young players into high-leverage roles for the first times in their careers: Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens, Rasmus Dahlin, and Mittelstadt.
Mittelstadt ended that season with nine goals and 17 points in the final 22 games – a sign of things to come, looking back now in retrospect. But while Thompson, Cozens, and Dahlin took their next steps linearly over the ensuing seasons, Mittelstadt’s progress was interrupted by a series of long-term injuries. Still, Granato – and the players around Mittelstadt – never lost faith.
“I stood here every day and said he is putting the work in and he's talented,” Granato said. “And the work that he put in two years ago and further is paying dividends now. It's the NHL. It doesn't happen overnight.”
All of which is to say, what’s happened through the first month of this season has come as no surprise in the Sabres dressing room. Here’s a rundown of what Mittelstadt has accomplished in the early going:
- He’s tied for the Sabres scoring lead with 11 points – all of which have come at even strength.
- Mittelstadt’s 11 even-strength points place him in a four-way tie for second place in the NHL alongside Elias Pettersson, David Pastrnak, and Bryan Rust. Vegas forward William Karlsson holds the league lead with 12 but has played two more games than Mittelstadt.
- You can trace Mittelstadt’s even-strength production even further than the start of this season. He has 27 even-strength points dating back to March 25, the most in the NHL in that span.
- Mittelstadt has five primary assists at 5-on-5, tied the NHL lead alongside Pettersson, Jack Eichel, and Cole Perfetti.
- The Sabres have outscored opponents 16-11 with Mittelstadt on the ice at 5-on-5, a 60-percent share (according to Natural Stat Trick).
It’s the sort of impact Granato and the Sabres envisioned back in March 2021.
“I said that this is a guy that I thought people were underrating two years ago,” Granato said. “… He needed time. It takes time to develop, and you have to stand by your guys until they do.”
Here’s more to get you ready for another week in the Sabrehood.
