NHL Rumor Roundup: Latest On The Sabres And Canadiens After Roster Freeze

The Buffalo Sabres gave their long-suffering fans an early Christmas present by snapping their 13-game winless skid with a convincing 7-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Dec. 23. They followed that up by downing the Chicago Blackhawks 6-2 on Dec. 27 and beating the St. Louis Blues 4-2 two days later.

Stringing together some wins silenced much of the trade speculation around the Sabres before the holiday roster freeze, which ended Saturday. Nevertheless, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday that the Sabres and Detroit Red Wings were scouting each other before the recent holiday roster freeze. He indicated they continue to follow each other, suggesting this could be worth monitoring.

The Sabres and Red Wings last played each other on Dec. 9 and won't meet again until March 12. It's unlikely they're scouting each other for a game over two months away.

Center Dylan Cozens and defenseman Bowen Byram frequently surfaced in the rumor mill in recent weeks. Despite reports indicating GM Kevyn Adams wants to add rather than subtract to his roster, those young Sabres stars remain topics of conjecture.

The Hockey News' Sam Carchidi suggested the Philadelphia Flyers aggressively pursue Cozens. Despite the 25-year-old's offensive struggles, Carchidi believes he can become the high-scoring center the Flyers currently lack.

Related: Flyers Should Aggressively Pursue Sabres' Dylan Cozens

If Adams were to peddle Cozens, and that's a big “if” at this stage, he wouldn't want draft picks and prospects. He'll seek a deal that fetches a good young player in return, similar to last season's swap that brought Byram to Buffalo from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for center Casey Mittelstadt.

The Athletic's Allan Mitchell included Byram on his list of proposed trade targets for the Edmonton Oilers. He believes they need a left-shot defenseman who faces big minutes against elite talent. However, he acknowledged the cost of acquiring Byram could exclude the Oilers from making a competitive bid.

Meanwhile, The Hockey News' Michael DeRosa suggested veteran left winger Jason Zucker could draw interest as a playoff rental by the NHL's March 7 trade deadline.

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Turning to the Montreal Canadiens, Mitchell included Mike Matheson on his list, suggesting he could be an affordable option for the Oilers.

Some pundits believe the 30-year-old Matheson's puck-moving abilities and affordable contract could make him a popular trade target. He's signed through next season with an affordable $4.875-million cap hit.

The Canadiens could move Matheson, but they're unlikely to do so without a suitable replacement in hand. It's believed they'll shop pending UFA David Savard before the trade deadline after acquiring younger right-shot veteran Alexandre Carrier.

Meanwhile, Stu Cowan of The Montreal Gazette believes checking-line center Jake Evans could be moved by the trade deadline. He's a UFA in July and could seek to double his $1.7 million average annual value. However, The Hockey News' Karine Hains thinks trading him would be short-sighted, citing his value as their top penalty-killer.