As they prepared to depart for their first extended road trip of the season, the Boston Bruins looked forward to having time to bond together, especially during a team-wide poker tournament in Vegas. 

But Casey Mittlestadt had a different date from the rest of his teammates circled on his calendar. As the B’s visit the Colorado Avalanche tonight, Mittelstadt will face his former team for the first time since the Bruins acquired him at last year’s trade deadline. 

Mittelstadt’s time in Colorado was brief and underwhelming. He arrived as an import from the Buffalo Sabres in March of 2024. A year later, he was packing up his bags once again. 

“Especially in the season when you’re playing every other day and things are crazy, it almost feels like it’s something different every game when it’s not going well,” Mittelstadt told reporters in Denver. “Sadly, I think I fell into that rabbit hole a bit too much.” 

Before the Bruins left for their road trip, I asked Casey Mittelstadt for his thoughts on returning to Colorado for the first time:

“It’s a place you played in the past. The first time going is back weird, but I’m very happy to be here and be where I am. It’s been a lot of fun…

— Andrew Fantucchio (@A_Fantucchio) October 18, 2025

Mittelstadt was nothing close to what the Avs hoped he’d be when they first acquired him. They expected an adept playmaker. One that could provide yet another element of offensive skill to an already explosive team. Instead, they got just 29 points in 81 games. 

Trying everything he could to climb out of a prolonged slump, Mittelstadt only dug himself deeper. 

“I’m very hard on myself. I think sometimes you can almost care too much, and you need to just go out and play care free and not worry about the consequences so much,” said Mittelstadt. “It’s something I’ve struggled with, I would say, my whole career. Not just in pro hockey. It’s definitely something I’m working on and will continue to working on. That’s one of the hard things. All of us are so competitive, and to some degree, we’re all perfectionists. Sometimes you get a little hard on yourself and get in that hole by using a shovel instead of a ladder.” 

But while the Avalanche had seen enough of Mittelstadt, the Bruins saw something in him. 

Sellers at the deadline amidst a disastrous season and desperately in need of more skill in their lineup, they received him, prospect Will Zellers, and a second-round pick in the 2025 draft in exchange for Charlie Coyle. 

That deal has already turned into a win for the Bruins. 

They used the draft pick to select defenseman Liam Pettersson, 61st overall. And even though Zellers just began his freshman year at the University of North Dakota, he’s already stirring up excitement within the organization after winning Player of the Year honors in the USHL last season.

Meanwhile, Coyle is no longer in Colorado anymore, and is now a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

But for that trade to truly pay dividends, the Bruins need Mittelstadt to be the player many believed he’d when he was taken with the eighth overall pick in 2017, not whatever it was the Avalanche got. 

There’s been flashes here and there. Mittelstadt has tallied two goals through Boston’s first five games of the year as the second line center, but the Bruins are looking for more, especially tonight after opening their trip with a sloppy loss to the Golden Knights on Thursday. 

“Anytime that you play a former team that traded you and moved on from you, it’s good motivation for sure,” Mittelstadt said. “The most important thing is coming in, getting a win, and getting the road trip going a little bit.”

Puck drop between the Bruins and Avalanche from Ball Arena is set for 9:08 p.m. EST. 

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