To play devils (sabres?) advocate, you can tell that there was some psychological damage done to cozens from his time there that must have shook his confidence, messed with his head, and likely had a huge impact on his play on ice.
You could see it it early interviews when he first arrived here when he was asked about his time there in Buffalo, he wore it on his face when answering, he felt he had to own the failure, backpedaling and so on. It’s like you could see the worry creep back into his facial expression and so on. I felt sorry for him having to answer for that. That’s tough for a young player to put on their shoulders.
It’s no wonder a new start and a different situation has lit a spark for him, and early signs of his play here show the player touted in his draft reports. It’s been said before, but seems like it’s a trend that players leaving Buffalo leave their poor play behind and become different better players. It’s gotta be tough to swallow as a Buffalo fan.