NHL Rumour Roundup: Sabres’ Cozens drawing interest from Canadian teams
A name that’s been in the rumour mill for months re-surfaced this week, and there’s a sense that more than one Canadian team has interest.
A name that’s been in the rumour mill for months re-surfaced this week, and there’s a sense that more than one Canadian team has interest.
As far back as December, the media has been speculating about the availability of Buffalo Sabres centre Dylan Cozens, who turns 24 years old on Sunday. The trade action of the past couple weeks caused Cozens’ name to get lost in the mix, but NHL insider Kevin Weekes took to X on Wednesday to say there is still plenty of chatter around the Sabres pivot.
Among the interested parties? The Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.
Speaking a day later on his podcast, Chris Johnston addressed the Cozens buzz. His sense was that nothing has really changed around the player, who’s been an ongoing point of curiosity for two-thirds of the league.
“It’s my understanding 20 teams have called on Dylan Cozens this year,” Johnston said on The Chris Johnston Show. “That includes some of the ones that (have been mentioned); whether it’s Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal has poked around, Toronto has made a call, Detroit. It’s 20 teams; we actually should start listing the ones that haven’t bothered to call versus those that have.”
Johnston noted the recent activity in the market may have triggered people to wonder what’s happening with Cozens, but the potential parameters of a deal — from Buffalo’s perspective — have not changed. The Sabres are not interested in a return package defined by futures; Buffalo wants a help-now player in return, likely one in the same age range as Cozens. Start scanning rosters of interested teams and, as Johnston notes, even with a large number of tire-kickers, it’s difficult to see how the pieces align right now.
“I think that really limits the field, in-season, for that type of move happening,” Johnston said of Buffalo’s preference to receive a player who can immediately pay dividends.
As noted, the Leafs are one of the clubs believed to be interested in Cozens. That certainly aligns with the fact that most fans and insiders think Toronto will most likely add a centre between now and the March 7 deadline. Speaking on the latest episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast — which dropped Friday morning — Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said he thinks Buds brass is looking long and hard at the type of player it can add right now. “I think some of them could potentially be 2Cs, but not all of them,” he said.
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32 Thoughts: The Podcast
Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.
As Friedman indicated, Toronto has a few things to consider. As always, salary cap constraints will play a role. There’s also the fact that the Leafs don’t have a 2025 first-round pick to move. They do have a 2026 first, but may be reluctant to deal it since that draft is shaping up to have more intriguing prospects than the one coming in five months. Of course, the Leafs could consider moving a prospect, but that inevitably comes down to the level of immediate help they can fetch.
“I think they’re weighing all of that stuff,” Friedman said. “I think they would love to see if they can swing for a 2C, but it just might not be possible.”
As always, you never know how things will go this time of year.
