For some players, leaving Buffalo and the dysfunctional Sabres has been a boon to their careers. Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Brandon Montour and Linus Ullmark have all flourished personally and, in the case of the first three, have won Stanley Cups.

The Bruins can only hope they reap the same kind of rewards with Casey Mittelstadt.

Mittelstadt, obtained by the Bruins at the trade deadline in a package for Charlie Coyle, was never looking to escape western New York. Drafted with the eighth overall pick in the 2017 draft, Mittelstadt was slow to percolate in Buffalo after playing just one season at the University of Minnesota, finding himself demoted to the AHL in his third pro season. But in 2022-23, it appeared like he was finding his stride. Mittelstadt, still just 26, posted his career-

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