Even if he can’t score goals, putting it on the tape for someone else to tap it in is just as good
I also want to shout out Casey Mittelstadt, who's going to end up with over 50 points this season.
The overall underlyings aren't great and he's not doing much of anything with his shot, but he's taken a giant leap as a pure playmaker this season. #LetsGoBuffalo pic.twitter.com/aX6YNF78Yi
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) April 2, 2023
by clumzazael
9 Comments
Look at Tuch’s first goal last night. To me, that’s peak-Mittsy in his current form.
Wins a battle along the wall in his own zone. Gets his head up, realizes there isn’t a passing lane, and beats another defender along the wall. Then plays it smart on the 3-2, letting the defenders show their hand, and puts an easy tape-to-tape on Tuch’s stick for the primary assist.
It doesn’t work every time, but he’s been much better about waiting for a good pass to open up. That and, for some reason, he’s been the opposite of Tage (Winger -> Center). Mitts plays very well along the boards and utilizing the lack of space to his advantage.
The next step is where he finally decides he’s done waiting for a passing lane and just rips it himself.
I can’t recall if it was last night or Friday, but he could have had another assist passing out from below the goal line to the high slot. He’s been like this since December. He needs to have linemates that can get themselves open. He’ll get them the puck…
he would already have 60 points if VO didn’t whiff or miss a bunch of those layup passes.
Hes turned into a ok 3rd line center, gotta work on the shot and his hands too. He’s got a nice hustle to his game finally, just wish he had more speed. Hopefully he’s got more to go in growing his game
https://imgur.com/a/lyJo6EZ
At the beginning of this season, I wanted to see VO and Mitts flipped for max value. Could’ve gone either way but only one of those players has convinced me otherwise. Really goes to show how much this league is about player chemistry, Boston being the best example. Mitts has shown he belongs here and should be rewarded IMO.
40 assists in a season from mitts is great production. If he can win face offs I don’t care if he barely scrapes 15 goals in a season.
He wasn’t brought up as a passer primarily but he’s grown into a decent playmaker this season. He seems like he can see the play develop with greater ease than in prior seasons.
He stays, as 3rd liner. His sloppy plays will be mostly gone, and he will be passing to Savoie/Kulich for years to come
Perception has shifted on this man from “he should be gone from Buffalo because he’s a bust” to “he should move on from Buffalo to a situation where he can anchor someone’s second line.” I think fresh off of 50pts he’d be a valuable trade asset for us to continue bolstering D for next season.