Casey Mittelstadt is as puzzling a player as the Boston Bruins have had in a long time. He isn't necessarily a standout piece in the lineup, and there are some stretches where he will make fans pull their hair out. Still, he was somehow part of a makeshift line that earned Viktor Arvidsson a new payday after thinking his career was coming to a close and made Pavel Zacha a ton of money on his future extension with a career-high 65-point year.
While all the talk surrounded two of those other pieces of the line, something has to be said for Mittelstadt, who didn't hurt that trio and, in a way, was the catalyst to their success. Some fans may shudder at the thought of a long-term extension, but if the Bruins are only going to end up making a lateral move to replace him, it almost makes sense to try and get him on a team-friendly deal.
Unfortunately for Mittelstadt, fans see him as a bit of a liability defensively and in his work ethic, which is an uphill battle for many offensively gifted players trying to play in a city that values two-way forwards more. If they had to choose, many supporters would likely say to keep Zacha and trade Mittelstadt, which is why it's only right to try and find some possible destinations for the Minnesota-born forward.
Minnesota Wild
Mittelstadt's hometown allegiance brings us to his first potential destination, as the Minnesota Wild are attempting to upgrade their offense to compete with the skilled Central Division. The Wild are hoping to make a big splash to add to their center depth, but if that doesn't work out, they'll need to fill in the gaps with more middle-six options.
Zacha is another potential option if the Bruins elect to trade him, but perhaps Minnesota would value the hometown boy as they did last year with Bobby Brink. The forward played the best hockey of his life during his draft years, first in high school at Edina and then with the Golden Gophers for a year of college, and it'd be a great story if he returned to help lead the contending Wild in the playoffs.
Winnipeg Jets
It isn't all the way home in Minnesota, but Winnipeg would be close to home and a good fit for Mittelstadt. The Jets aren't exactly contenders in the Western Conference, but as long as they still have Connor Hellebuyck, Josh Morrissey, and Mark Scheifele, they aren't exactly going to bottom out and rebuild.
That could be coming soon for Winnipeg, but if they want to contend once more before blowing it up, they'll need a bit more offense, and Mittelstadt makes sense as a middle-six option who can get you 40 points. The Jets have done a good job in holding their draft picks and building up a solid prospect pool, which could fetch the Bruins a nice return.
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are another team hoping to make a couple more runs with their core, which is rapidly approaching its end, given they have nine forwards currently projected on their opening-night roster whose contracts will run out at the end of this upcoming season.
The Rangers need a bit more scoring to be true contenders in the Metropolitan Division, so why not add one more expiring contract and hope Mittelstadt can return to New York State and give them some depth?
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