Yahoo Sports Flyers Should Aggressively Pursue Sabres' Dylan Cozens
Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
The Buffalo Sabres need to make changes. Big changes. And maybe, just maybe, the Philadelphia Flyers can oblige them.
Like the Flyers, the Sabres are rebuilding. Buffalo has the NHL’s youngest team, while the Flyers have the fourth-youngest. Both are sitting out of playoff spots.
Again.
But the Sabres are in a worse predicament than Philadelphia.
Buffalo has missed the playoffs in 13 straight seasons, an unwanted NHL record. To make matters worse, the Sabres have lost 12 consecutive games.
“There’s not much really to say. It sucks,” Buffalo forward Dylan Cozens told reporters this week.
Buffalo fans are getting restless. They want moves to be made. Soon.
Cozens Drawing Interest
NHL general managers have been circling around the Sabres. And when the holiday trade freeze ends Friday, they will keep hovering around Cozens, despite his underachieving season – seven goals for the 11-18-4 Sabres.
Here’s where the Flyers (14-15-4) should come in.
Cozens, a natural center who has been playing mostly wing this season, would be a perfect fit for the Flyers. Not because of his struggles, but because of his potential to be a high-scoring center – something Philly lacks. The Flyers centers have been greatly underperforming this season with their top current goal-scorer at the position being Sean Couturier with just six goals and 11 points in 32 games.
Related: NHL Rumor Roundup: Updated Trade Speculation On Sabres And Islanders
In short, the Flyers desperately need young, productive centers.
Cozens is just 23, has good size (6-foot-3, 207 pounds) and is two years removed from a 31-goal season. On the flip side, his defense is a liability.
A change of scenery might do him some good. The same goes for Flyers center Morgan Frost. Would Frost and winger/center Scott Laughton – a veteran who would give Buffalo some much-needed experience and help their weak penalty kill – be enough to bring Cozens to South Philly?
If not, maybe promising defenseman Jamie Drysdale and Laughton would get it done
Similar Draft Positions
Like Cozens, Drysdale was a high selection in his draft year. Cozens was picked No. 7 overall in 2019. Drysdale, 22, who has had his career stalled by injuries but is now healthy, was chosen No. 6 overall in 2020.
Related: Opinion: Mediocre Flyers Still Should Be Selling Assets By 2024-25 NHL Trade Deadline
Frost, 25, was also a first-round pick – 27th overall in 2017. He has four goals in 29 games this season and is two years removed from scoring a career-best 19 goals.
From the Flyers’ perspective, they would probably need Buffalo to retain some of Cozens’ salary. He has an annual $7.1-million cap hit through 2029-30. The cap hits of Frost ($2.1 million) or Drysdale ($2.3 million) — assuming one was dealt — don’t match, even with Laughton ($3 million) in the deal.
The Flyers have just $2.95 million of cap space, per PuckPedia. That means general manager Daniel Briere would have to get creative to add Cozens.
From here, he should try hard to make it work.
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