The biggest need this past offseason for the Boston Bruins was a top-line center. General manager Don Sweeney failed to address that, instead choosing to address the Bruins' bottom-six lines with grinders to make it tough to play against.
Marco Strum's first training camp as Bruins head coach had Elias Lindholm, Casey Mittlestadt, Fraser Minten, and Sean Kuraly as the top-four centers. Against the Utah Mammoth on Sunday night, Mittlestadt was scratched from the lineup, which moved Pavel Zacha to the middle for the game.
Over the summer, Mittlestadt and Zacha were rumored in several trades, but nothing came of them. Now, Boston is left with a No. 2 center that is struggling and was called out by Craig Button on Frank Seavalli's 'Frankly Hockey' show.
Craig Button blasts Bruins' Casey Mittlestadt over his effort
Seravalli asked Craig Button if there is a team out there looking for center depth, could they call Sweeney and try and swing a deal for Mittlestadt? Button doesn't think any team should.
"I'm going to be really straight forward because I've watched Casey for a long time,'' Button said. "I don't think it's about Casey lacking skill; I think it's about Casey lacking competitive spirit. If you want a player with a little bit of skill that can tease you a little bit, that doesn't compete, then Casey's your guy. If you're interested in winning and the Boston Bruins are interested in winning, Colorado Avalanche are interested in winning, I'm not going anywhere near Casey Mittlestadt.''
Button was brutally honest. He is right that it is not lacking skill, as he has it. That's what made the Avalanche acquire him as part of Bowen Byram with the Buffalo Sabres, but they ended up sending him to the Bruins in the Charlie Coyle trade back in March.
There were nights last year after the trade and early this year when you had to look long and hard to find Mittlestadt on the ice. There is a reason why his name was being floated about this summer as a trade candidate, but nobody has made the move to acquire him yet. He is a player that Boston needs much more from this year, and we'll see if he got the message on Sunday night.