Casey Mittelstadt didn’t have to respond to a recent question from a reporter for everyone to know exactly how he felt about the pundits predicting the Buffalo Sabres to finish in last place.
The 22-year-old bristled at the notion. He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head before providing media and fans a glimpse at the mindset inside the Sabres’ dressing room at KeyBank Center.
Mittelstadt’s immediate impact shouldn’t have come as a surprise. He thrived under Don Granato during the second half of 2020-21, totaling nine goals and 17 points while averaging 17:17 of ice time in the final 22 games.
“You take it and use it as motivation, but I’m not going to listen to them talk about us like that,” Mittelstadt said. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not gonna waste my time.”
Despite the noticeable growth under coach Don Granato last season, and the return of a young core that has shown flashes of on-ice brilliance, the Sabres are being picked to miss the playoffs for an NHL record 11th season.
Sam Reinhart is gone. Jack Eichel’s disagreement with the team regarding his preferred treatment for a herniated disk has led to a stalemate and a trade is inevitable. There’s a young, unproven roster with two question marks in goal and a significant void at center. So much is riding on the progress of Mittelstadt, Rasmus Dahlin and Dylan Cozens, among others.
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“I think as you watch us, you'll see that night to night we'll be getting better and more efficient in different areas, and eventually it will all start to add up,” Granato says.
With the season opener against Montreal in KeyBank Center on Oct. 14, Sabres’ players are determined to show that their best is on the horizon.
“We are a tight group and we know what we expect from each other,” Dahlin said. “And everyone’s talking about the same stuff. Like, we really want to turn this around and we really want to be a winning team.”
Forwards (14): Rasmus Asplund, Anders Bjork, Drake Cagguila, Dylan Cozens, Cody Eakin, Zemgus Girgensons, Vinnie Hinostroza, Casey Mittelstadt, Kyle Okposo, Victor Olofsson, Arttu Ruotsalainen, Jeff Skinner, Tage Thompson, John Hayden.
All eyes will be on Mittelstadt and Cozens, who are first in line to try to replace Eichel and Reinhart. Mittelstadt, 22, appears ready to take a leap after totaling nine goals and 17 points in the final 22 games last season. He’ll run the Sabres’ power play from the left wall and likely will center the top line. His development across the past two years is evident every time he’s on the ice.
Cozens, meanwhile, had a difficult start to camp because he placed too much pressure on himself to be a catalyst for change, but he grew more comfortable in the final days. He’s only 20 years old and there will be some difficult moments as he faces the league’s top centers. We’ve seen flashes of his talent early on. The next step is consistency.
During a season in which you’ll read more prospects coverage in The Buffalo News, here’s a glance at the 15 to watch in 2021-22.
Asplund, Bjork and Ruotsalainen are skilled, young wingers who need to take another step under Granato. And while Olofsson has been a prolific power-play weapon during his three years in the NHL, he has yet to make much of an impact offensively at 5-on-5. Thompson, meanwhile, moved to center during the final days of training camp and is expected to start the season at that position.
Skinner is a key to unlocking the Sabres’ potential at 5-on-5. He’s among the league’s top scorers in those situations since entering the league in 2010 and should help create space for one of the young centermen. Skinner, though, has fallen far below expectations and needs to show that he’s still an elite goal-scorer. He doesn’t make enough of an impact in other areas to justify the $9 million annual cap hit.
Hinostroza had a remarkable camp. His speed and fearlessness driving to the net should earn him a regular spot in the top six. Okposo and Caggiula are useful depth forwards.
The problem is at center, where the Sabres’ top options behind the young tandem are Thompson, Eakin, Girgensons and Ruotsalainen. Three of the four weren't at the position at the start of last season. Girgensons and Thompson haven’t played there in years. The lack of depth led Eakin to secure a roster spot because his ability in the faceoff circle will be useful on the penalty kill.
Defensemen (7): Jacob Bryson, Will Butcher, Rasmus Dahlin, Robert Hagg, Henri Jokiharju, Colin Miller, Mark Pysyk.
The additions of Butcher, Hagg and Pysyk provide a veteran presence on the blue line and buy time for prospects to develop in Rochester, but each is a pending unrestricted free agent and could be gone before the trade deadline. The same goes for Miller, who is entering his third season in Buffalo.
For the Sabres’ defense, this season is all about Dahlin and Jokiharju. Their talents proved to be a perfect fit for Granato’s preferred style of play and they will be counted on to shoulder a heavy workload with Rasmus Ristolainen gone. Dahlin enters the season with immense expectations. He signed a three-year, $18 million contract and is another season removed from his selection first overall in 2018. The 21-year-old has the tools to be great. Now he needs to put it all together.
Bryson earned a roster spot with a solid camp, particularly away from the puck, and his ability to play on either side is an asset.
Goalies (2): Craig Anderson, Dustin Tokarski.
The Sabres are going with a veteran tandem in goal, but it’s not the one we expected. Tokarski, 32, made the team over Aaron Dell after a preseason in which in he logged a .946 save percentage in three appearances. Anderson, 40, is four seasons removed from leading the Ottawa Senators to the Eastern Conference finals and played well in limited work in Washington last season.
Both will need to play well to hold off Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who should excel on an improved Rochester team. Luukkonen had a disappointing preseason, but signs of growth with the Amerks will lead to another NHL opportunity.
