Avalanche may have fumbled the bag with recent trade deadline move
Photo credit: Colorado Hockey Now
The Colorado Avalanche may have made a costly mistake at the trade deadline last season, trading away two promising young players in Casey Mittelstadt and prospect William Zellers in exchange for veteran forward Charlie Coyle.
Coyle was recently traded in a package deal with Miles Wood to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for draft picks and prospect Gavin Brindley.
Avalanche may have made a costly mistake.
Michael DeRosa from The Hockey News writes that Mittelstadt's debut with the Bruins was underwhelming, recording just four goals, two assists, and a minus-17 rating over 18 games. Although his start was rocky, he has the talent to bounce back next season with a fresh start.
"While Mittelstadt finished this season with 15 goals and 40 points in 81 games split between the Avalanche and Bruins, he has shown in the past that he can produce like a true top-six forward. During the 2023-24 season split between the Buffalo Sabres and Avalanche, he had 18 goals and 57 points in 80 games. This was after he scored 15 goals and set career highs with 44 assists and 59 points in 82 games with Buffalo in 2022-23." -DeRosa
If Mittelstadt can return to the offensive production he showed in recent seasons, he has the potential to be a reliable top-six forward for the Bruins. At just 26 years old, there's still plenty of room for a bounce-back.
"Bringing in Zellers has the potential to be a big win for the Bruins. The 19-year-old winger simply dominated the United States Hockey League (USHL) this past season, leading the league with 44 goals and recording 71 points in 52 games with the Green Bay Gamblers. Due to his incredible play, Zellers was named USHL Player of the Year and USHL Forward of the Year. He was also named to the All-USHL First Team." -DeRosa
It's no secret the Bruins are in need of more skilled scoring forwards, and Zellers has the potential to develop into exactly that for them in the future.
This trade has only aged better for the Bruins, especially now that Coyle's stint in Colorado is already over.
"One of the Avalanche's top objectives of the off-season was to clear up their cap space, and they did just that by moving on Coyle's $5.25 million cap hit until the end of next season. He should now be a solid addition to a Blue Jackets team that is looking to take that next step and become a legitimate playoff team again. When looking at Columbus' roster, he should slot nicely as their new third-line center." -DeRosa
Overall, while Coyle had some strong moments during his time with the Bruins, it's hard not to view this trade as a win for Boston. They acquired some intriguing players with long-term potential, and it'll be interesting to see if they can develop into key contributors moving forward.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 21 | 32 ANSWERS Avalanche may have fumbled the bag with recent trade deadline move Do you think the Avalanche regret trading Caset Mittelstadt and William Zellers at the trade deadline last season? | ||
| yes | 17 | 53.1 % |
| no | 15 | 46.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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