I don’t love Cozens and I feel like he’s more of a winger than a center. At 7 million I don’t really feel like he’s even approaching Andersson’s value but then again if he figures it out again Buffalo is just going to keep him
Based on the previous 7x7x3 talk, I'm not opposed to trying to target Cozens if the price is right and I wouldn't pay market value, but I'd consider an acquisition of Cozens is for the purpose of putting him at RW. If he can do spot duty at C, great. If not, meh.
Other than Coronato, who do we have at RW?
I'd consider the same concept for Zegras. Acquire him with the intention of pure RW and if C/RW like a Rango, it's bonus. TBH, I think everyone thinks of those guys as C and thus are hesitant to acquire them due to their well documented struggles at that position. So IMO, if Conroy goes to the bargaining table with that in mind and makes a solid buy low offer at winger value vs C premium... we might have the inside track on acquiring guys like that.
Same concept with someone like Mittelstadt.
Now... the problem with such an idea is that most teams would require a C in return, so if we intend to acquire someone for the purposes of being a winger and the potential demand back is one of our current centres, then the whole concept needs to be far bigger (multiple trades) to get us a C to ensure the guys we acquire stay on the wing.
I think how that looks is something like putting the following guys on the table:
- Parekh, Brustewicsz, Gridin, Honzek, Suniev
- Kadri, Sharangovich, Coleman, Andersson
And perhaps aiming for someone that meets the criteria in the first row and criteria in the second row and only someone criteria of the 3rd row if if other good options aren't available:
- Wright, Barzal (ie: NHL ready C targets ready for immediate middle 6+ deployment)
- Cozens, Zegras (ie: NHL ready winger targets with potential higher upside if they can figure out C)
- Helenius, Yager, Ritchie (ie: C targets that are not yet NHL ready)
(Not exhaustive)
Basically swapping W/D prospects value for W/C prospects of equivalent value and potentially swapping NHL ready for not fully developed players. We aren't trading all of them or targeting all of them. It's put them on the table quietly and see what are the best deals that transpire.
It's basically like fantasy GM stuff, but with what transpired last season, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Conroy may have to consider to find a solution that meets the varied objectives of ownership, roster, prospects and management.