Casey Mittelstadt signed a three-year, $7.5 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. It has an average annual value of $2.5 million.
Goalie Brian Elliott #37 of the Philadelphia Flyers stops a shot by Casey Mittelstadt #37 of the Buffalo Sabres to seal the win
The 22-year-old forward was a restricted free agent after he scored 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 41 games last season.
Mittelstadt scored 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) in 28 games after Don Granato replaced Ralph Kruger as coach March 17. He scored five points (one goal, four assists) in 13 games prior to the coaching change.
“I think a lot of guys, including myself, owe Donnie quite a bit,” Mittelstadt told the Sabres website. “He challenged me when he took over and pushed me to become a better player. I think it’s that simple. A lot of the strides I made are partly because of him pushing me or had a lot to do with him pushing me.”
Selected by the Sabres with the No. 8 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, Mittelstadt has scored 61 points (27 goals, 34 assists) in 155 games.
“I challenged Casey before last season to prove it, and to earn a spot, and to show what he’s capable of doing,” Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said. “And all he did was show up from Day One of training camp with a great attitude and put the work in. And when he did get the opportunity, he kicked the door open.”
Defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Henri Jokiharju are the Sabres’ remaining restricted free agents.
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