The Colorado Avalanche have extended Casey Mittelstadt to a 3-year contract, which carries an annual average of $5.75 million and begins in the 2024-25 season. Mittelstadt, 25, had four goals and 10 points in 16 regular season games with Colorado after being acquired by the Buffalo Sabres at the 2024 Trade Deadline for Bowen Byram.
His contract is a fair deal for both sides. After initially struggling to break through in the NHL, he had a strong 2022-23 season in Buffalo, scoring 15 goals and 59 points as a center. His numbers were nearly the same this past season, scoring 18 goals and 57 points across 80 games split between Buffalo and Colorado.
Moving forward, Colorado has extended Mittelstadt through the majority of his prime. His development over the past few seasons is bound to improve in Colorado’s high-octane offense as he fills the team’s need for a second-line center. As well, this contract allows him to cash in on a long-term deal as he will be just 28 years old when the deal expires.
Related: THW’s 2024 Free Agency Tracker
The Avalanche have a projected $10.5 million remaining cap space and need to sign multiple pending free agents such as Jonathan Drouin, Brandon Duhaime, and Yakov Trenin. However, signing Mittelstadt checks off a key goal of the franchise who needed to sign the restricted free agent to a team-friendly deal.
