Sportsnet’s Ally Chesham discusses the potential landing spots for one Dylan Cozens of the Buffalo Sabres, and of course the Red Wings are on her list:
To not only secure a post-season berth but also make a push once there, Detroit will likely be looking to upgrade their roster where possible. That makes Cozens a logical target, as he would fill the void left by second-line centre Andrew Copp, who is out for the season with an injury. Once Copp returns, Cozens could also allow him to shift back to the wing.
If the Red Wings were to acquire him, Cozens would rank second on the team in hits with 139, trailing only Moritz Seider (162). He would also be among their top faceoff performers, with a 50.6 per cent win rate — just behind Dylan Larkin (55.5) and Andrew Copp (50.7).
According to Friedman, a trade between the two teams involving Cozens nearly happened leading up to the NHL’s holiday roster freeze back in December.
“There’s definitely not a lot that gets out of Detroit, and there’s not very much that gets out of Buffalo,” Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts podcast in January. “But finally, it got coughed up to me that they believe that the Red Wings were looking at Cozens. … And I will say this, there was a time that a couple people said to me they thought it was close.”
Detroit’s continued interest in Cozens was confirmed earlier this month by ESPN’s Kevin Weekes.
Who could go the other way in this hypothetical in-division trade? One name to consider is Vladimir Tarasenko. The 34-year-old veteran would need to waive his no-trade clause for the third straight year to facilitate a move. While he’s no longer the offensive threat he once was, his experience could provide value for the Sabres, who currently have the youngest roster in the NHL, with an average age of 25.38.
Other potential trade pieces include defenceman Justin Holl and forwards Joe Veleno or Michael Rasmussen. Detroit also has significant cap space ahead of the deadline to help make a deal work, though their main priority may be upgrading their blue line. While the Red Wings have an abundance of picks and prospects to sweeten an offer, Buffalo, as noted, isn’t necessarily focused on futures in exchange for one of their top skaters — understandably so.
Continued; I can’t imagine that the Sabres want anything other than the usual productive roster player + good prospect + 1st round pick, so if the Wings could flip Tarasenko’s salary or move a complementary piece (not Rasmussen, his mere presence in the lineup seems to give the Wings backbone) for that fat $7.1 million salary, and the Wings don’t have to give up a 1st rounder or an elite prospect…
That’s when I’d make the deal. At this point, Cozens is somebody who has all the intangibles, but has only put them together for the one season where he got paid for them, and as much potential as Cozens may have, there’s a sense that he’s “damaged goods” to some extent, at least in my book, given that albatross of a contract.
Who knows? We’ll see what happens over the next five-and-a-half days.
