BREAKING: Avalanche and Sabres make gutsy one for one trade

Earlier today, the Colorado Avalanche and Buffalo Sabres completed a massive one for one trade, now a rarity across the NHL. The Avalanche traded high end young defenceman Bowen Byram to the Sabres in exchange for young centreman Casey Mittelstadt.

The 22 year old Bowen Byram has shown incredible promise in the NHL already after being drafted by the Avalanche fourth overall in 2019. However, his playing time has been cut short by a brutal history of concussions. Byram is under contract for this year and next year at $3.85M.

Casey Mittelstadt is a bit older at 25 years old, but is still emerging as a quality centreman for the Sabres after being drafted by the team 8th overall in 2017. He's emerging as a consistent offensive contributor and two way player for the Sabres. He's owed just $2.5M until the end of this season, and then will be a restricted free agent.


It's a bold one for one trade between two recent top ten draft picks. It will be years before we find out who won this trade, and it will certainly be a fun one to evaluate down the road.