The NHL preseason is officially underway, and while it is definitely still too early to truly determine how well the Boston Bruins will do in 2025-26 with so many moving pieces, new players, and a new coach, there have certainly been some positive takeaways already. The impressive play of Casey Mittelstadt is certainly one of them.
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The 26-year-old center arrived in Boston at the trade deadline last season from the Colorado Avalanche as part of a deal that sent Charlie Coyle out west and brought in Mittelstadt, prospect William Zellers, and a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft that was used to select defenseman Liam Pettersson. The Bruins are the third team he’s played for since 2024, and his name is already being tossed around as a potential trade piece this season.
But right now, Mittelstadt is looking like he could be a solid piece for the Bruins this season, bringing much-needed assistance with depth down the middle. He’s generating chemistry with his linemates and looking comfortable under Marco Sturm’s direction. If this continues, 2025-26 could be a breakthrough season for him.
NHL Progression
Mittelstadt was drafted eighth overall in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres. It was an up-and-down start to his NHL career. He made his debut in the 2017-18 season, scoring a goal and four assists in six games. He followed it up with a solid first full season, registering 12 goals and 25 points in 77 games.
But the next few seasons were filled with highs and lows. Prior to the 2022-23 season, he was living up to expectations for a top-ten draft pick. Things just seemed to finally click for him in 2022-23 when he put up a 12-goal and 59-point season in 82 games. He followed it up with another solid season in 2023-24 when he had 14 goals and 47 points in 62 games with the Sabres. But, it wasn’t convincing enough to give him the long-term contract he wanted with the team, so they traded him at the deadline that season to the Colorado Avalanche where he put up another 10 points in 18 games.
Despite an auspicious start in Colorado, things took a turn for the worse last season, leading to his trade to Boston, and leaving question marks about what his NHL ceiling is. Two solid seasons don’t make for a convincing argument that he can be a consistent, top-six forward on an NHL roster. The Avalanche wanted him to be in the number two spot on their depth chart, and that didn’t work out.
It is important to note that while Mittelstadt hasn’t quite lived up to expectations of a top ten pick, he has spent most of his career so far in Buffalo, which has proven to be a difficult spot for young players to develop over the last decade. They continue to have a whole host of young players who come into the league with a lot of excitement and then struggle to live up to expectations.
One of the best things about hockey is that it is a team sport, but sometimes that means some spots and situations are just not great for a specific player. It’s why a change of scenery really does seem to have an impact on players, and why just having a good player or two doesn’t make a championship-winning team (if that were the case, the Edmonton Oilers wouldn’t be Stanley Cup-less in the Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl era). It’s also what helps keep this sport interesting.
Mittelstadt is an interesting case because he has now spent time with both a rebuilding franchise and a consistent contender, showing flashes of success and struggles in both. He’s in a weird middle ground while still trying to figure out what kind of player he is: a top-six forward or a depth piece? Winning franchises need both types of guys, but it can sometimes be a challenge to pinpoint exactly which category a guy belongs in.
Bruins Need Center Depth
In a lot of ways, Boston is the perfect fit for Mittelstadt right now because they’re also in a weird middle ground after being a contender for so long and then tearing the roster down to the studs last season in hopes they can rebuild quickly. If Mittelstadt can prove to carry this preseason momentum into the season, where he can generate offense and put up over 50 points no matter which line he’s playing on, it would go a long way to making the team competitive again.
The Bruins need depth at center. Outside of Elias Lindholm, there are a lot of question marks. Pavel Zacha has been frequently moved back and forth between center and wing, but they are currently playing him at center, which is the right move for now and is creating a bit of necessary competition, pushing guys like Mittelstadt and Fraser Minten.
Right now, Mittelstadt is centering the third line primarily with Tanner Jeannot and Matthew Poitras, while also getting reps in with guys like Marat Khusnutdinov and Matej Blumel. Line chemistry can go a long way for success, and on paper, Mittelstadt, Jeannot, and Poitras seem like a line that should work well together. Mittelstadt and Poitras have complementary playing styles, and Jeannot offers a physicality that can protect his less-physical linemates.
The three aren’t just looking good on paper, but have had some good reps together. Mittelstadt himself has talked about the three complementing each other. The Bruins haven’t had a consistent third line that can really be that “energy line” so many successful teams are able to generate. Solidifying a third line with chemistry that can be real points contributors would go a long, long way for the team this season.
While Mittelstadt is still pretty young, there are a lot of much younger guys currently looking at potential roster spots for 2025-26. This gives him a chance to not just be an essential piece in the middle-six of the Boston forwards, but also a leader amongst the youth on the team. There is no captain for the Bruins to start the season, and while Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak are great leaders, other guys will need to step up as well to fill in the holes left by the titans of the last generation, like Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, and Brad Marchand.
Reasons to Be Excited for Mittelstadt
In the rush of all the changes that were made at the trade deadline last season, the Mittelstadt addition didn’t make as much noise as some of the other new additions. There is a lot of anticipation around young additions like Minten and Zellers, and questions about guys like Khusnutdinov who really didn’t thrive on his last team. Now, the tides seem to be shifting.
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It’s only preseason, but Mittelstadt has played well, generating points and showcasing a playmaking ability that was sorely missing last season. He’s developed chemistry with a number of players and could be a legitimate solution to the center depth issues the team has been struggling with for the last few seasons. Many, including myself, scratched their heads this offseason when general manager (GM) Don Sweeney didn’t attempt to trade for or bring in a bona fide top forward.
But maybe Mittelstadt can be part of the solution (not the whole solution, but a part of it). Maybe this third line of Mittelstadt, Jeannot and Poitras will work out great for the Bruins. Maybe the young guys really will step up and be difference-makers, led by Mittelstadt as a leader.
It’s too early to tell for sure what will happen, but it’s also not completely out of the realm of possibility to think that it could work out better than most anticipated.
