> “I think there was a lot of internal pressure and wait-and-see for him because he had an injury-plagued year the season before,” Granato explained at his end-of-season press conference. “And to his credit, he made it through. He’s the only player for us to play all 82 games. So, I think the first part of the season was like, ‘Just stay healthy, just stay healthy’ as a priority to try to get on track. And he had such a challenging and frustrating season internally for him last year that I think his whole focus and dedication the first 30 games was just on survival.”
> Overcoming a core muscle injury like Mittelstadt’s is as much of a challenge mentally as it is physically. He was hurt in the season opener of 2021-22 and missed a total of 42 games after exiting training camp as the team’s No. 1 center. Mittelstadt returned in December to play in three games, then experienced a setback that kept him out until late January.
> Gradually, Mittelstadt regained the confidence that was lost through the ordeal. He was among their best players in the latter portion of this season, which ended with the Sabres achieving their highest point total (91) since 2011. Now 24 years old, Mittelstadt established career-highs in goals (15), assists (44) and points (59). His 31 points after the All-Star break ranked second on the team behind Jeff Skinner.
> Mittelstadt showed Granato and General Manager Kevyn Adams that he has the talent to be part of a young core that includes Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens, Alex Tuch and Owen Power, among others.
Euphoric_Cow_572
He looks like a keeper
aricsmcfall
It’s still amazing he’s only 24.
Barmacist
If he can stay healthy he’s a productive 3C, but is no threat to Tage or Cozens.
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https://archive.ph/Mehcp
> “I think there was a lot of internal pressure and wait-and-see for him because he had an injury-plagued year the season before,” Granato explained at his end-of-season press conference. “And to his credit, he made it through. He’s the only player for us to play all 82 games. So, I think the first part of the season was like, ‘Just stay healthy, just stay healthy’ as a priority to try to get on track. And he had such a challenging and frustrating season internally for him last year that I think his whole focus and dedication the first 30 games was just on survival.”
> Overcoming a core muscle injury like Mittelstadt’s is as much of a challenge mentally as it is physically. He was hurt in the season opener of 2021-22 and missed a total of 42 games after exiting training camp as the team’s No. 1 center. Mittelstadt returned in December to play in three games, then experienced a setback that kept him out until late January.
> Gradually, Mittelstadt regained the confidence that was lost through the ordeal. He was among their best players in the latter portion of this season, which ended with the Sabres achieving their highest point total (91) since 2011. Now 24 years old, Mittelstadt established career-highs in goals (15), assists (44) and points (59). His 31 points after the All-Star break ranked second on the team behind Jeff Skinner.
> Mittelstadt showed Granato and General Manager Kevyn Adams that he has the talent to be part of a young core that includes Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens, Alex Tuch and Owen Power, among others.
He looks like a keeper
It’s still amazing he’s only 24.
If he can stay healthy he’s a productive 3C, but is no threat to Tage or Cozens.