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Casey Mittelstadt can be more than just a solution to Avalanche’s second-line center problem

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Casey Mittelstadt can be more than just a solution to Avalanche’s second-line center problem


For the past two seasons, the Colorado Avalanche searched for an answer to its second-line center question.

When the 2024-25 campaign begins Wednesday night in Las Vegas, that spot in the lineup will no longer be a problem. Casey Mittelstadt is not only a solution, he could be a critical part of how the Avs navigate early uncertainty and why this club could make another run at a Stanley Cup once the roster is whole.

“I think he’s going to have a great year,” Avs star Nathan MacKinnon said. “He looks awesome. He’s a lot more comfortable around the room and on the ice. I think the sky’s the limit for him. There’s a lot of untapped potential.”

After Nazem Kadri left for Calgary following the Stanley Cup run in 2022, the Avs spent the next season and two-thirds looking for his replacement. Not having a guy who could anchor the second line behind MacKinnon was a significant flaw on a roster that didn’t have many.

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Then, a bold move. Colorado traded Bo Byram, the best young player in the organization and the No. 4 pick in the 2019 draft, to Buffalo for Mittelstadt. He was also a top-10 pick, and like Byram hadn’t fulfilled all of his immense potential.

Mittelstadt played well upon arriving and looked at home during his first taste of Stanley Cup Playoffs hockey. The Avs locker room isn’t for everyone, but he was quickly embraced.

“Just coming for the playoffs, he didn’t have that in Buffalo, so he was just getting his feet wet,” said Jonathan Drouin, another new guy last season who found his place. “I think he did a great job. (Mittlestadt) works hard off the ice, he puts in the extra time on the ice after practice. I think it’s going to do wonders for him (to be here). He’s a hell of a player.”

With a new three-year, $17.25 million contract in tow, Mittelstadt is now part of Colorado’s core. When the Avalanche acquired him, general manager Chris MacFarland and coach Jared Bednar spoke of there being more for him to unlock in his game.

He set a career high with 59 points two seasons ago, and a new personal best with 18 goals last year.

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“The main thing I want to work towards is being a very consistent player,” Mittelstadt said. “I think I’ve done a decent job with it over the last couple of years, but there’s obviously room for improvement. I feel like I’m in the right spot to do that. You see what the leaders do here and how they take care of themselves.

“I got here and thought I had it a little bit figured out, and then you learn a lot from these guys. I’m going to continue to try and learn and hopefully get better.”

The Avs generally like players to fit into one of two buckets offensively — either add speed and play fast, or help retain possession of the puck (or both, with guys like MacKinnon). Then there are “non-negotiables” as Bednar calls it, which pertain to the work on the defensive side.

Mittelstadt’s skillset looked like an instant fit for Colorado, particularly in the latter part of the offensive identity.

“His playmaking ability with the puck is honestly among the best I’ve ever seen,” Avs forward Logan O’Connor said. “He can stickhandle in a phone booth. It’s crazy impressive. For him, I think getting the end of last year and playoffs under his belt, it gives him less of a learning curve. You can see it out there with his playmaking and his 200-foot game. He’s a great asset to have.”

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While Mittelstadt’s role with the Avs is clear, who is going to play with him is not. Eventually, it could be two of Artturi Lehkonen, Valeri Nichushkin and Gabe Landeskog, but none of them are currently available.

If Bednar decides to keep Drouin, MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen together on the top line, the Avs will need Mittelstadt to anchor an uncertain second trio. He’s also likely to start the year filling in as the net-front guy on the top power-play unit.

The guy who was a potential answer to a long-standing question is now someone the club is going to need a lot of from. There could be some added pressure there, beyond just settling in with a team that has Stanley Cup aspirations.

“I don’t really look at it that way,” Mittelstadt said. “I rely on the fact that I worked really hard this summer and have for a while now. I’m going to put my trust in that hard work and play the best I can.”

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Point spread, betting odds for San Diego State vs. Colorado State men’s basketball game

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Point spread, betting odds for San Diego State vs. Colorado State men’s basketball game


San Diego State returns home after two games on the road to host Colorado State on Wednesday night in a matchup of teams that will move from the Mountain West into the Pac-12 Conference next season.

The first-place Aztecs (14-5, 8-1 MW) have been set as 8.5-point favorites against the struggling Rams (12-8, 3-6), according to Fanduel.com. The over/under is 139.5 points. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT at Viejas Arena. The game will air on FS1.

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This is another rivalry that will continue when the teams move into the reconfigured Pac-12 next season, along with Boise State, Utah State and Fresno State. They’ll join holdovers Washington State and Oregon State, as well as fellow newcomers Gonzaga and Texas State. 

SDSU continues to hold sole possession of first place in the MW. It is coming off an 82-71 win at UNLV in its final regular-season trip to the Thomas & Mack Center. The Runnin’ Rebels are staying behind in the MW.

San Diego State was the unanimous preseason pick to win the MW, while the Rams were picked to finish seventh in the 12-team league.

SDSU has won eight of nine games since a double-digit loss to No. 1 Arizona in Phoenix on Dec. 20. That streak has helped put the Aztecs back into contention for an at-large NCAA Tournament berth if they don’t claim the automatic berth that comes with winning the MW tournament.

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Colorado State has lost three of four, including a home 65-61 defeat to Utah State on Friday night.

The series

The Aztecs and Rams are meeting for the 99th time overall and 27th time on the

Viejas Arena floor. SDSU leads the overall series 53-45 and is 22-4 on 

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Steve Fisher Court.

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SDSU has won 13 of the last 16 games in the series, including five straight in San Diego. 

Below is a look at the notable trends and betting lines for Colorado State vs. San Diego State on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. PT.

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Notable trends

– Colorado State is 12-8 overall and 12-7 ATS

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– San Diego State is 14-5 overall and 8-10 ATS

San Diego State vs. Colorado State betting odds

Spread: San Diego State -8.5 (-110)

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Over/Under: 139.5 (-105)

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Moneyline: San Diego State (-465), Colorado State (+350)

Game time: Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. PT

TV: FS1

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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Colorado lawmaker drops defamation lawsuit against women who accused him of sexual harassment

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Colorado lawmaker drops defamation lawsuit against women who accused him of sexual harassment


A Colorado legislator has dropped a defamation lawsuit he filed against two women who accused him of sexual harassment.

Rep. Ron Weinberg and the two women, Jacqueline Anderson and Heather Booth, agreed to end the suit in a Friday joint filing that was submitted a week before all three parties were set to testify in court. The dismissal was approved by a judge later that day.

No settlement or confidentiality agreements were part of the joint filing, Anderson said in an interview.

A Loveland Republican, Weinberg filed the suit in August, weeks after Anderson and Booth publicly accused him of making sexual comments to them at public events in 2021 and 2022, when he was the chair of the Larimer County Republican Party but before he entered the legislature. Weinberg denied the allegations and sued both women for libel and slander.

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The women, in turn, denied that their statements were false, and they moved to dismiss the lawsuit under Colorado’s anti-SLAPP statute.

Anti-SLAPP laws are generally used to prevent people from using expensive defamation suits to target or punish others for their speech. The laws require that the person filing the lawsuit demonstrate that they’re reasonably likely to win the case; otherwise, the case can be dismissed, and the defendants may receive attorneys’ fees.

The case was set for a hearing on the anti-SLAPP motions this Friday. Weinberg, Anderson and Booth had all indicated that they would testify, along with several other people who’d filed affidavits seeking to support or undercut the women’s harassment allegations.

Witnesses in the case included the president of the Leadership Program of the Rockies, which ran the events at which Weinberg allegedly made the comments, as well as Amy Parks, who had been challenging Weinberg for his Loveland-based seat in this year’s Republican primary until Weinberg announced that he would not run for reelection. Rep. Brandi Bradley, a Republican lawmaker who filed a complaint against Weinberg last summer, was also on Booth’s potential witness list.

On Monday, Weinberg told The Denver Post that he decided to drop the case because he didn’t believe he would get the chance to defend himself in court. He provided an email from one of the women’s attorneys, who noted a separate active investigation into Weinberg’s campaign spending and that Weinberg’s reputation would likely suffer further if the anti-SLAPP hearing took place.

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Are stadium food and beer prices too high? Colorado lawmakers unveil bills targeting costs.

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Are stadium food and beer prices too high? Colorado lawmakers unveil bills targeting costs.


Colorado Democrats unveiled a trio of proposals Monday aimed at wrenching down rising prices that they blamed on corporate greed — and at forestalling newer attempts at varying pricing for different customers.

The proposals include a measure that would require price transparency for what might be considered “captive consumers,” including at sporting events or airports. Another would prohibit wholesalers from giving preferential pricing to large groups. And a third would ban companies from using consumers’ personal data to set prices or wages.

“Affordability isn’t this abstract concept. Everyone has experienced the $20 beer at a Nuggets game, the $10 water at the airport or the $80 Tylenol at the emergency room,” state Rep. Yara Zokaie, a Fort Collins Democrat, said during a news conference at the state Capitol. “When people are forced to pay more, simply because they’re trapped, that isn’t the free market. It’s exploitation.”

Only the proposal to require more price transparency has been formally introduced, as House Bill 1012. Supporters expect the other measures to be introduced in the coming weeks.

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Democrats framed the proposals as necessary to preserve the free market against large monopolies that have undue power to set prices — including by harvesting user data — and to force out competition.

The proposal is already facing stiff opposition from business groups. Three dozen lobbyists, including those representing the Colorado Hospital Association, the Colorado Bankers Association and various chambers of commerce, have registered outright opposition. Uber and DoorDash, whose delivery services would also be affected by the bill, have registered amend positions, signalling they will seek changes.

“The Colorado Chamber opposes the bill due to feedback from our members that it’s overreaching, creating new operational and legal costs for businesses across multiple industries statewide, with little benefit to consumers,” said Meghan Dollar, the senior vice president of governmental affairs for the Colorado Chamber of Commerce.”

Gov. Jared Polis has underscored the need for affordability but also regularly voices business-oriented concerns, making him a wild card. Spokeswoman Shelby Wieman said Monday that he “is generally skeptical of these types of policies because they are not consistent with the laws of economics,” and he will monitor its progress.

The price transparency bill builds off a 2025 law passed by legislators against so-called junk fees charged by landlords. This iteration would prohibit businesses from charging “unreasonably excessive prices to a captive consumer.” Think sports fans whose only food options at a game are at stands all operated by the same big concessionaire.

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The bill would also require businesses that sell delivery goods, such as grocery delivery providers or DoorDash, to list a comparison of the delivery price versus the regular price if the goods were to be bought in-person at the store.

“Our economy is failing working people because corporations have been allowed to extract, overcharge and consolidate power with no real accountability,” Zokaie said. “They have found new and unique ways to squeeze every last cent from working people. Today, we are drawing a hard line against that system.”

The anti-price gouging measure, as written, would declare it an unfair or deceptive trade practice if a business charges a higher price than the average for a similar good or service within the same county. So that $20 beer, if it costs half that at a bar down the street, might run afoul of the proposed law unless the seller can show the price is not unreasonably excessive.

The bill would task the state’s attorney general with establishing the guidelines to determine unreasonably excessive prices for captive consumers, such as at airports, hospitals, sporting events, large festivals or in correctional facilities.

Lawmakers say the onus for preventing pricing abuses is on the state since the Trump administration has largely retreated from business regulations and has sought to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB.

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The federal agency was tasked with creating and enforcing rules to protect consumers from abusive practices across a range of financial institutions. Some Republicans have assailed the agency as overregulating industry. President Donald Trump said early in his second term that the bureau was set up to destroy people.”

Sen. Mike Weissman, an Aurora Democrat, said the bills would rely on the Colorado Attorney General’s Office for enforcement, using powers from the state Consumer Protection Act.

“Historically, you’ve had maybe the prospect of state and federal enforcement,” Weissman said. “But as we live now, there isn’t a functional CFPB anymore. It’s been put through the wood chipper. It’s mulch now. So state enforcement through the Colorado attorney general will be important.”

The bill that would restrict the use of consumer data to set prices and wages also steps into regulations on algorithmic decision-making, which is part of the thrust of lawmakers’ long-debated, and still in flux, regulations on artificial intelligence.

Weissman said this bill was designed to stand alone.

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“We are playing against a supercomputer when we walk into a grocery store,” said Rep. Jennifer Bacon, a Denver Democrat. “We are playing against a supercomputer when we go to buy clothes.”



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