Kristen ShiltonMar 7, 2025, 12:32 PM ET
- Kristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.
The Buffalo Sabres made a splash ahead of the NHL's trade deadline Friday, sending forward Dylan Cozens, defenseman Dennis Gilbert and a 2026 second-round draft choice to the Ottawa Senators for forward Josh Norris and defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker, the teams announced.
The transaction features two former first-round draftees (Cozens and Norris) on long-term deals looking to tap into their full potential.
Cozens, 23, is a dynamic scoring center but has lacked consistency in his short career to date. He's just two seasons removed from a 31-goal campaign that earned him a seven-year, $49.7 million contract. The forward followed that up with just 18 goals and 47 points last year, and Cozens has just 31 points through 61 games this season. He also has been prone to defensive issues coupled with unreliable production.
Through the growing pains, Buffalo was determined to give Cozens -- the club's seventh overall pick in 2019 -- due time to find his footing. The fact the Sabres are moving on now might indicate an even larger changing of the guard from their current core.
In Ottawa, Cozens can be a durable first- or second-line skater and will have a clean slate with the team's young core primed to take another step toward putting the Senators back in playoff contention.
Buffalo restocks now with Norris, a speedy center with greater two-way potential and playmaking ability than he has shown consistently in Ottawa. The 25-year-old is having one of his best seasons so far, gathering 20 goals and 33 points in 53 games. He should provide the Sabres with middle-six depth down the middle and add to their stable of talented rising stars. And Buffalo will have Norris in-house for years to come -- he's in the third season of an eight-year deal carrying a massive $7.95 million cap hit.
The lingering concern with Norris, though, is his health. He has had three left shoulder surgeries that limited his availability to just 58 games from 2022 to 2024. He also suffered a mid-body injury already this season that held him out of Ottawa's lineup for nearly a month.
Bernard-Docker, in turn, is another depth option for Buffalo's back end, bringing a solid stay-at-home mentality.
Buffalo was busy before finalizing the Cozens deal, as well -- the Sabres also inked veteran forward Jason Zucker to a two-year, $9.5 million extension.
