3 unprecedented players moved before the NHL trade deadline who will reward their new team

Casey Mittelstadt was a sensational find for the Avalanche

If you watched Casey Mittelstadt play over the first few seasons of his career, you may scoff at this trade. But the Avalanche made a brilliant move not only for Mittelstadt, but also for Sean Walker. However, let’s focus on Mittelstadt, whose last two seasons with the Buffalo Sabres showed us how productive he can be for a serious contender like the Avalanche. 

Colorado just acquired one of the league’s best passers to fill the middle-six of a team that’s first in scoring with 239 goals, or 3.73 per game. Over his past 144 games, Mittelstadt has 77 assists, and he led the Sabres in points when the team traded him for Bowen Byram.

Put someone on a team with some of the best scorers in the game, like Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Valeri Nichushkin, and watch the Avalanche parlay their league-best offense into something ultra-spectacular. Not that Mittelstadt will share ice time with them often, but he will further make Colorado’s middle-six come to life in the offensive zone. 

Sure, the Avalanche are taking a loss with Byram heading elsewhere, but at least for the rest of the season, Sean Walker (formerly of the Philadelphia Flyers) makes a great consolation prize for the rest of the season. That said, the Mittelstadt deal was an ideal move.