BonHoonLayneCornell
Registered User
The chemistry with Batherson and Perron is very encouraging. Don't know that we saw much of that out of Norris, even though he scores plenty on his own.
Smaller salary and an asset too.
Smaller salary and an asset too.
We saved about $0.800 M per year and received Dennis Gilbert and a 2nd round draft pick in 2026.
I like Norris more as a player too but I think Cozens is a better fit for the style we play. Norris will never play a heavy forechecking game and that’s really what we’re trying to build. I actually think Buffalo is a great fit for him if they can get it together. He’ll have lots of talented wingers to play with, with more speed and creativity than we have.
BonHoonLayneCornell
Registered User
Exactly!
Not a ton saved but every bit counts, and sounds like a lot of actual salary (not cap hit) was saved from the Norris backloaded deal.
Norris' average salary for the rest of his contract is 8.52M, so we'll be saving about 1.42M a year with Cozens only making 7.1M per.
Wallet Inspector
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- Jan 19, 2013
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Cozens just seems better in most ways offensively than Norris did, and comparing their 5v5 productions speaks for itself.
WORLDSTARHIPHOP
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Norris is a great finisher but invisible offensively 5v5.
Cozens is a play driver 5v5 and it's no coincidence that Perron and Batherson go on heaters as soon as he arrived.
Possession and neutral zone transition is something we sorely missed and relied heavily on both Timmy, Brady, and Sanderson
Cozens is a play driver 5v5 and it's no coincidence that Perron and Batherson go on heaters as soon as he arrived.
Possession and neutral zone transition is something we sorely missed and relied heavily on both Timmy, Brady, and Sanderson
I prefer Norris's game when he's 100% healthy, but he doesn't elevate his wingers the way Cozens does. Cozens isn't as good in our own end, but the gap isn't that big.
So far the trade is a W and Cozens still has loads of development left.
So far the trade is a W and Cozens still has loads of development left.
Silky Johnson
I wish you all the bad things in life.
Both Norris and Cozens are great players. Added assets/contracts definitely make the trade a no trainer win for the Sens.
Moreover, I think what Cozens bring is what the Sens needed.
Norris has great straight line speed, good finish and excellent defensive play. He is awesome on the kill and can match up against top lines well. All things that I think Pinto can do.
Cozens is a legit play driver and very good 2C right now. He also has a ton of upside. How he has improved Batherson & Perrons game is exactly what we needed. If this can make the second year of Perrons contract into a positive then great - one less thing for management to have to fix.
Going forward I see 3 important forward pairs with obvious chemistry.
Stutzle - Tkatuck: Great top line with an potential elite C and one of the best power forwards in the game.
Cozens - Batherson: Big bodies who forecheck hard and a ton of skill.
Pinto - Greig: Matchup line with a bit of Sandpaper. Lots of upside offensively.
The rest of the forwards just need to be complementary to that core and can move around a bit if needed. Lose a C to injury for a while? Greig can fill in and others bump up.
This works better than any combos with Norris IMO.
Moreover, I think what Cozens bring is what the Sens needed.
Norris has great straight line speed, good finish and excellent defensive play. He is awesome on the kill and can match up against top lines well. All things that I think Pinto can do.
Cozens is a legit play driver and very good 2C right now. He also has a ton of upside. How he has improved Batherson & Perrons game is exactly what we needed. If this can make the second year of Perrons contract into a positive then great - one less thing for management to have to fix.
Going forward I see 3 important forward pairs with obvious chemistry.
Stutzle - Tkatuck: Great top line with an potential elite C and one of the best power forwards in the game.
Cozens - Batherson: Big bodies who forecheck hard and a ton of skill.
Pinto - Greig: Matchup line with a bit of Sandpaper. Lots of upside offensively.
The rest of the forwards just need to be complementary to that core and can move around a bit if needed. Lose a C to injury for a while? Greig can fill in and others bump up.
This works better than any combos with Norris IMO.
Tuna99
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- Sep 26, 2009
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Saw him get knocked off 3-4 pucks yesterday and I was not impressed with his battle effirt and when he goes into battles he’s in the right positions he just doesn’t go into battle like his life depends on it. He was non chalant last night
He likes to operate high in the blue line and find lanes which is great, but for a 6’3” player I’d like to see more intensity in battles and along the boards especially. In open ice he hits and can skate with the puck but seeing him get folded a couple of times last game - I understand why Sabers fans didn’t think he had the drive to be a difference maker.
If he played with Ridly Greigs intensity he’d be on Team Canada. Still like him, but he has a ton of room to grow in his every shift attitude and if he does Then we will have a true #2 Center who leads his line and doesn’t participate with it
He likes to operate high in the blue line and find lanes which is great, but for a 6’3” player I’d like to see more intensity in battles and along the boards especially. In open ice he hits and can skate with the puck but seeing him get folded a couple of times last game - I understand why Sabers fans didn’t think he had the drive to be a difference maker.
If he played with Ridly Greigs intensity he’d be on Team Canada. Still like him, but he has a ton of room to grow in his every shift attitude and if he does Then we will have a true #2 Center who leads his line and doesn’t participate with it
Good summary, totally agree.
Cozens has been so good. Not the flashiest guy in the world but has a lot of skill and makes so many small plays that generate chances or help maintain possession.
With Cozens in the mix and Greig really elevating, the duos you highlighted are exciting. It’s cool to imagine what this team could look like when they all really enter their primes in the next couple of years, especially if we can add a couple guys to the mix as Giroux/Perron age out.
The biggest difference is that Norris didn't mesh well with Batherson, and they generated practically no offense at 5 on 5. Norris isn't a 5 on 5 offensive generator at all, despite being a very good all round player.
Batherson and Perron are scoring a lot 5 on 5 with Cozens as he really drives the play, it's been such a good line. He's been good on faceoffs and on the PP too.
Cozens suits the Sens style way more than Norris. He also has more upside and room to improve, Norris is more of a finished product, as he's a mature player with a well-wounded game.
Also, Pinto developing into a good shutdown centre makes Norris redundant. Not to mention having Greig get a bigger defensive role and taking more important faceoffs as he continues to mature and improve. And all of our top 3 centres were leftys, it's good to have one of them a righty now.
Batherson and Perron are scoring a lot 5 on 5 with Cozens as he really drives the play, it's been such a good line. He's been good on faceoffs and on the PP too.
Cozens suits the Sens style way more than Norris. He also has more upside and room to improve, Norris is more of a finished product, as he's a mature player with a well-wounded game.
Also, Pinto developing into a good shutdown centre makes Norris redundant. Not to mention having Greig get a bigger defensive role and taking more important faceoffs as he continues to mature and improve. And all of our top 3 centres were leftys, it's good to have one of them a righty now.
Cozens is objectively better than Norris 5v5, but I do think this narrative re: elevating Batherson has been slightly exaggerated.
Batherson was not playing his best obviously, some nights he was downright terrible, but his lack of scoring 5v5 was also just a lot of bad luck. Ottawa’s shooting percentage in January when Batherson was on the ice was less than 2%, currently it’s at almost 13% - both of which are unsustainable at the extreme ends of the spectrum.
So part of this stretch is luck, everything is going in right now for Batherson and Perron and that won’t last. The other piece is that Norris got so many d-zone starts and Cozens gets easier minutes. I said before I didn’t think it made much sense to have Batherson stapled to a C that takes tough matchups so the structure of the team is much better now, but Cozens should be out producing Norris given role difficulty.
Anyway, not disagreeing with you overall - I think eye test makes it clear Cozens and Batherson are a better match stylistically. The idea going around that he rejuvenated Bath is not one I fully buy into though - he was finding his game again pre-Cozens (looked excellent vs Chicago with him, Norris and Perron dominating).
