Dater: Analysis Of Avalanche Trades. Will They Regret Moving Byram?

Avs get Casey Mittelstadt, Sean Walker

Anybody who read my trade deadline piece the other day knows that I was not a fan of trading away Bo Byram, but that’s exactly what just happened in a dust-devil tornado of Avalanche trades that happened about five minutes apart about 30 minutes ago.

But when the return for Byram proved to be Casey Mittelstadt, a 25-year-old former top-10 draft pick who figures to be the Avalanche’s second-line center for at least the next few years? And, when the Avs also picked up Sean Walker as Byram’s de facto replacement? Yeah, I think I can live with that.

The two official trades made by the Avs: 1. Byram to Buffalo for Mittelstadt, straight up. 2. A conditional 2025 first-round draft pick and Ryan Johansen to Philadelphia for Walker and a 2026 fifth-round pick.

The upshot is this: the Avs just got two good, young players in exchange for one good young player, one very washed-up player and a first-round pick that probably will be a late-round choice for the Flyers next year.