‘Moving Mittelstadt is a tough thing both on the ice and in the dressing room. The Sabres’ No. 1 pick in 2017 had developed into a bull down low and along the wall, even if he should have been shooting to score more and not had such a preference for passing. It was going to cost at least $6 million to keep him on a long-term deal, maybe north of $7 million. You simply can’t pay everybody and Mittelstadt’s price, either what it would be in negotiation or arbitration, wasn’t going to work.’