Adams: Rumors Sabres are shopping Mittelstadt 'flat-out not true'

Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams pushed back on speculation that he's looking to trade pending restricted free-agent forward Casey Mittelstadt ahead of the March 8 deadline.

"I'm not surprised his name's out there just because of where we are in the standings," Adams said during an appearance on "Schopp and Bulldog" on Tuesday. "He's our leading scorer, he's had a very good year, he's a very good player, and that's part of this business. ... I know there's been some reports out there that we're shopping him, that could not be further from the truth. That is just flat-out not true."

Mittelstadt has racked up 43 points - including 37 at even strength - in 52 games this season and is due for a raise on his current $2.5-million cap hit. The 25-year-old is also eligible for arbitration.

ESPN's Kevin Weekes first floated Mittelstadt's name as a trade target in mid-January. The "After the Whistle" podcast - hosted by former Sabres Andrew Peters and Craig Rivet - reported Friday that Buffalo was shopping the center because the team didn't want to foot the bill on his next extension. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman later shared a similar sentiment on the "32 Thoughts" podcast, saying the Sabres would have to move Mittelstadt if they didn't want to pay him.

Though Adams says he isn't actively shopping Mittelstadt, he acknowledged that the forward's name has been coming up in conversations with other teams.

"My job is to listen, my job is to ask questions, my job is to know exactly what's out there, how we can look at ways to improve our team," he said. "When it comes to our core players, I am not interested in moving guys out for future type of deals. If there's a deal that we believe makes our team better today and into the future, meaning we're not compromising short-term, then I have to be open to that."

Despite the outside interest in Mittelstadt, the executive said that he wants to get an extension done.

"I really like him, I think he's a really good player for us, and my expectation is that we'll work towards a contract and get him signed," Adams said.

Buffalo has dished out plenty of long-term extensions to their young players, including Tage Thompson (seven years, $50 million), Dylan Cozens (seven years, $49.7 million), Mattias Samuelsson (seven years, $30 million), Owen Power (seven years, $58.45 million), and Rasmus Dahlin (eight years, $88 million). Dahlin's and Power's new extensions kick in next season.

The Sabres have fallen short of heightened expectations this campaign, sitting in seventh place in the Atlantic Division with a 23-25-4 record. They're on track to extend their playoff drought to 13 years.

"I'm certainly not in a position right now where I'm going to act out of emotion or frustration. ... I understand the frustration for our fans, I get it," Adams said. "But I can promise you they're not more frustrated or disappointed than I am in where we are in the standings. And we've gotta fix it."