Could the Sabres trade Dylan Cozens?
The Buffalo Sabres are off to a rough start in the 2024-25 NHL season. With 26 points from 28 games, they are on the outside of the playoff picture while carrying a 13-year drought. Things got worse when general manager Kevyn Adams said Buffalo is not a destination city because they don't have palm trees and do have taxes. When discussing the comments, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the Sabres could trade Dylan Cozens on the 32 Thoughts podcast.
“The Buffalo fans right now, they are all over Dylan Cozens,” Friedman said. ‘They're all over him. And I do think teams have asked about Cozens this year.”
Cozens is 23 years old and was drafted seventh overall in the 2019 draft. This would not be a cheap acquisition for a contending team but one that could determine who wins the Cup. Adding a young player who can score at his rate would be a great addition to any core. The problem is that Cozens's offensive numbers have dropped significantly in the last two years.
In 2022-23 Cozens scored 31 goals in 81 games, adding 37 assists at just 21 years old. In the 107 games since, he has scored 24 goals and 36 assists. That '22-23 season featured an unreasonable 14.7% shooting percentage, which not even the best shooters in the world can replicate. That is just part of the problem for the Sabres with Dylan Cozens.
The Sabres should not trade Dylan Cozens despite a poor season
The Sabres have a young core they should be adding players to, not taking away. Cozens signed a monster extension after his breakout year, locking him in at $7.1 million per season through 2030. That takes up the rest of his 20s when he should be a star for a Sabres team entering their competitive window.
It is too early for Adams to give up on this core, which is what trading Cozens would signal to the fanbase. Trading a member of the core to improve can work but this Sabres team needs to be closer to contending for that to be an option. The Panthers traded Jonathan Huberdeau for Matthew Tkachuk and immediately won a Cup. But the last team Huberdeau was on was the best in the regular season. Buffalo is still stuck in the basement
Cozens must improve his game quickly to shut these rumors down. The Sabres may be joining the New York Jets in the 14-year club this year, but the results from younger players are more important. Cozens needs to find the middle between his unsustainable 2022-23 season and his poor 2024-25 campaign.
