Dylan Cozens determined to score again for Sabres as 'noise' of trade rumors continues
The past two years in Buffalo have tested Dylan Cozens’ resolve and challenged him to find the scoring touch that he has shown everywhere he's been.
Pressure and expectations have followed Dylan Cozens since he was a 15-year-old center in the Western Hockey League.
Twice, he has won a gold medal as a member of Team Canada. He also owns two silver medals and a rookie-of-the-year trophy from the WHL. Nicknamed the Workhorse from Whitehorse, Cozens became the first athlete from the Yukon Territory to be selected in the first round of the NHL draft.
Sabres center Dylan Cozens checks the Maple Leafs’ Jake McCabe, right, during a game on Dec. 20. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Cozens co-captained Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship before he joined the Sabres in January 2021 and, at 21 years old, he scored 31 goals and finished with 68 points a few months after he signed a seven-year, $49.7 million contract. Eight months ago, Cozens scored a tournament-leading seven goals and totaled 13 points to earn an all-star nomination at the men’s world championship.
But the past two years in Buffalo have tested Cozens’ resolve and challenged him to find the scoring touch that he has shown everywhere he’s been. The confidence, speed and tenacity that he has shown everywhere else have wavered in the NHL as he’s tried to become an elite goal scorer and defender. The center has successfully fine-tuned certain aspects of his performance. He has won a career-best 50.4% of faceoffs, and he is more involved on the forecheck, as illustrated by his 121 hits, but he demands more from himself. The Sabres expect more from him.
And, despite the minus-18 rating and only 27 points in 54 games, Cozens, 24, isn’t deterred or discouraged. He is motivated to prove that his production two seasons ago was only the beginning.
“I’ve worked on different little things to improve my all-around game so I can be the complete player I want to be,” he told The Buffalo News as the Sabres prepared for their game Saturday against the New York Rangers. “And now, it’s just about getting the offensive side back and being that offensive threat who’s willing to take guys one on one and take it to the net and take it to dirty areas to jam some home. “
The Sabres signed center Dylan Cozens to a seven-year, $49,700,000 contract in February 2023. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Among Sabres to appear in at least 100 games since Cozens signed the contract extension in February 2023, he ranks sixth on the team in points per game. His production last season dropped to 18 goals and 47 points in 79 games, and his 11 goals this season are tied for sixth-most on the team.
Buffalo is also giving up too many quality scoring chances with Cozens on the ice. Only JJ Peterka and Jiri Kulich have a higher expected goals allowed per 60 minutes this season, according to Evolving-Hockey.
There are several theories why Cozens hasn’t looked like the same dynamic, play driving force that he was in 2022-23. Former coach Don Granato adjusted his system last season to improve the Sabres’ team defense at 5-on-5, but doing so led to fewer rush chances, where Cozens was most effective. He also was used by Granato as a matchup center, routinely facing the other team’s best line each game.
Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid are a couple of the elite players who have taught Cozens some difficult lessons over the past three seasons. He has committed turnovers and missed assignments in the defensive zone while trying to prove that he can be the center who the coach puts on the ice against the best in the world. There was also the fight in November 2023, one Cozens lost to Flyers enforcer Garnett Hathaway. Cozens seemed to lose confidence from the bout and struggled while wearing the full face shield prescribed by team doctors.
“I think just find his mark, get a few more opportunities,” Ruff said of Cozens. “A little bit like Tage (Thompson) when Tage got it going and, all of a sudden, found the opportunities and shot more. Hopefully the goal in Nashville will get (Dylan) going. We know once he gets in the middle of the ice that he’s got a lethal shot. I’m pretty sure it will start coming.”
The scoring chances have been there for Cozens, though. According to Natural Stat Trick, he leads the Sabres in individual shot quality and individual high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5 since he signed the contract. His 29 goals in those situations are fourth-most on the team, trailing only Thompson, Peterka and Alex Tuch. But Cozens, like many others on the roster, isn’t producing on the power play. He has only four goals on the man advantage over the past two seasons.
Admittedly, Cozens can be an overthinker. He has deferred to teammates when he should not, and he has second-guessed how to attack the defense. His last goal, a high snapshot over Justus Annunen’s right shoulder on a power play during a 6-4 loss in Nashville on Feb. 8, is the latest reminder to Cozens that he needs to trust himself.
“That’s just a confidence shot right there,” Cozens said. “It’s something I need to do more. I know I have a good shot, and I can score from all over. It’s about trusting it and using it more. It’s probably not a high-percentage shot, but it’s one that I can make.”
Each of the past two Sabres coaches has attempted different methods to boost Cozens’ production and pull him out of the overthinking that a young center can experience. Ruff, for example, placed Cozens on a line with Peyton Krebs, because the latter can take some faceoffs and absorb some defensive responsibilities. A similar approach helped Thompson begin to produce.
The Sabres’ 91-point 2022-23 season altered the short-term outlook for the franchise. Fans no longer viewed the team and its players as too young to win. Like most teams in the NHL, Buffalo signed its franchise players to long-term contracts to ensure they wouldn’t leave as free agents anytime soon, but most weren’t ready to meet the expectations created by a higher salary. Patience is lost for young players such as Cozens, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson when they’re making several millions of dollars each season.
Other NHL teams don’t feel the same way as Sabres fans, though. More than half of the league’s general managers have contacted Kevyn Adams to try to trade for Cozens, whose 77 goals and 193 points are fourth-most among everyone in the 2019 draft class. Scouts still see his ability and potential.
The trade rumors have lasted nearly two months and may continue this summer. The NHL’s break for the 4 Nations Face-Off was a brief reprieve and reset, but Cozens returned to Buffalo on a mission to reach his potential and help the Sabres achieve their goals.
“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking this year and, for me, the break was more of a break,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about a lot of stuff this year and there’s been a lot of noise, so I tried to get away from that a bit and come back here ready for a big push.”