It’s been a rough season thus far for Buffalo Sabres forward Casey Mittelstadt.
Rough, or not much of a season at all, really.
The 23-year-old played in the Sabres’ season-opening game against Montreal, but skated just 9:07 before suffering an upper-body injury. A month later, he was “progressing,” according to the team.
Six weeks after the injury, he returned to practice in a non-contact role with the team on November 24. Finally, on December 2, Mittelstadt returned to the lineup, making an immediate impact. He recorded a goal and three shots in 19:02 in Buffalo’s loss to the Florida Panthers.