Confirmed Trade: [OTT/BUF] Dylan Cozens, Dennis Gilbert, and 2026 2nd round pick for Josh Norris and Jacob Bernard-Docker

[Canadienna]

Norris is healthy.

He's played a much more physical and in-your-face brand of hockey this year and his shoulder is holding up.

He's had some injuries this year, but nothing alarming.

Fair enough. I've only seen him play once this year, but he has never really been an in your face player in the past when I've watched him play.

It's less about Norris and more that I like Cozens.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Moving JBD for Gilbert is an under the radar move that could be big for Ottawa. Ottawa has no LD depth and with Kleven out they really need a LD to play on the bottom pair. No more having Hamonic playing the left side.

Gilbert is a 28 year old journeyman who bounces around between the A and the Show...how impactful can be really be? You can find a palyer like that anywhere....

 

[Barsky]

Norris is healthy.

He's played a much more physical and in-your-face brand of hockey this year and his shoulder is holding up.

He's had some injuries this year, but nothing alarming.

He is, for now, but his shoulders are a ticking time bomb, just a fact

 

[old kummelweck]

I sure hope this is the change of scenery Cozens needed. Outside of his break-out season, he has regressed and I know I wasn't the only Sabres fan glad he was moved out.

 

[zenator]

Steal of the day. These takes kill me. Has anyone here seen Cozens the last two years. He is terrible five on five and nothing special on special team. Just a mediocre player

Great take...

Cozens is outscoring Norris 27-18 points 5 on 5.

 

[Cosmix]

Fair enough. I've only seen him play once this year, but he has never really been an in your face player in the past when I've watched him play.

It's less about Norris and more that I like Cozens.

Norris is definitely not an "in your face" type of player. He is a good player but not a great one.

I think Cozens has more offensive skills and future potential (not to mention 2 years younger and not injury prone). Ottawa still needs another top F but that will have to wait until the offseason when cap dollars become available, or another trade occurs now which I doubt.

 

[Cosmix]

Moving JBD for Gilbert is an under the radar move that could be big for Ottawa. Ottawa has no LD depth and with Kleven out they really need a LD to play on the bottom pair. No more having Hamonic playing the left side.

Nor the right side!

 

[Coaches Coroner]

I like it for Ottawa.

 

[Cosmix]

We are getting Fabian Zetterlund. Not sure of the price.

RFA 2025. 5'11" 220 lbs. age 25. VG stat lines. $1.45 AAV.

Left Wing Shoots Right.

Stutle's RW?

 

[Hostile Offer]

Weird move to make at the TDL.

 

[SML2]

The part I find low-key hilarious about this is that Tkachuk is on the verge of a breakdown over the trade of a teammate, but two teammates got traded. He does not even mention JBD. JBD must be like "Yeah guys, this is hard. I will miss you... Oh. You guys were not talking about me. Ok, I will see myself out...

 

[NyQuil]

How concerned should the Sens be about Tkachuk now having just traded away his buddy?

Everyone’s buddy gets traded.

 

[Yatzhee]

Sens heavily win this deal IMO... what an odd move by Buffalo... Sabres are a bizzare team

This is what happens when your owner and GM sit in Florida smoking the palm leaves………

 

[Djp]

How concerned should the Sens be about Tkachuk now having just traded away his buddy?

 

[MOGlLNY]

Great take...

Cozens is outscoring Norris 27-18 points 5 on 5.

Cozens is fine 5v5 it’s special teams where he doesn’t have the hockey IQ to thrive. Sabres have good 5v5 numbers and can afford to give up some of that to hopefully have Norris improve their PP.

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

Cozens is fine 5v5 it’s special teams where he doesn’t have the hockey IQ to thrive. Sabres have good 5v5 numbers and can afford to give up some of that to hopefully have Norris improve their PP.

Thats fine. The senators have enough weapons on the powerplay. Cousins can be on the second unit.

5 on 5 is where they've struggled to score. Removing Norris to add 2 scoring forwards makes them better.

Norris seems like a great guy. I hope his shoulder stays intact and both teams can win this trade

 

[Djp]

It looks like JBD has documents/ visa problem so he won’t be playing on Saturday

 

[swiftwin]

Cozens is fine 5v5 it’s special teams where he doesn’t have the hockey IQ to thrive. Sabres have good 5v5 numbers and can afford to give up some of that to hopefully have Norris improve their PP.

Perfect. The Sens are atrocious 5v5, so Cozens will help us a ton there. We had so many PP weapons that Giroux was on our 2nd unit, so we can afford to give up a PP merchant like Norris.

To put things in perspective, Norris has as many even strength points as Nick Jensen.

 

[Zman5778]

Moving JBD for Gilbert is an under the radar move that could be big for Ottawa. Ottawa has no LD depth and with Kleven out they really need a LD to play on the bottom pair. No more having Hamonic playing the left side.

If you have Gilbert playing any sort of regular minutes......you're gonna have a bad time.

Is he physical? Yes. Can he kill penalties? Also yes.

Does he take himself out of position while being physical? 90% of the time, yes.
Will he pinch at the absolute wrong time? Also yes.

He's a 7/8 guy, break-in-case-of-emergency guy. Nothing more.

 

[truthbluth]

There are approximately zero people in this thread that have watched more than 5 games of Dylan Cozens play over past two years calling this a bad deal for the Sabres. I really liked cozens, but if you expecting him to ever shoot anywhere near 15% again, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. His defensive impacts are atrocious. Yes he “hits” a lot, but his hits are the softest bullshit I’ve ever seen. I honestly don’t know what went wrong with him, besides the obvious (getting his face caved in by a legit NHL heavyweight), but I sincerely doubt he’ll aver crack 60 points again.

 

[sabremike]

Terrible trade for Buffalo no idea what they gave up yet. Norris is 1 hit away from retirement

Just like Jack Eichel??????

 

[zenator]

Cozens is fine 5v5 it’s special teams where he doesn’t have the hockey IQ to thrive. Sabres have good 5v5 numbers and can afford to give up some of that to hopefully have Norris improve their PP.

It could end up a win-win in that respect. Sens are somehow last in the NHL in 5 on 5 scoring. Cozens and Zetterlund should improve that (right now, they rank 2nd and 3rd on the team in 5 on5 points). As for the Sens PP, in a year or 2, Yakemchuk would have likely replaced Norris as the 1-timer / shooter (from D instead of C), as he has easily the best shot in the organization, even if he plays as the 6th defenseman and top PP.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

How concerned should the Sens be about Tkachuk now having just traded away his buddy?

0. This is pro sports.

The only thing that would make Brady want to leave is if we keep missing the playoffs.

This the first season new ownership and management has been place for the entire offseason and season and results are promising.

I wouldn't say we are very good but we are in the playoff hunt for the first time since 2017. So far, so good.

 

[MOGlLNY]

It could end up a win-win in that respect. Sens are somehow last in the NHL in 5 on 5 scoring. Cozens and Zetterlund should improve that (right now, they rank 2nd and 3rd on the team in 5 on5 points). As for the Sens PP, in a year or 2, Yakemchuk would have likely replaced Norris as the 1-timer / shooter (from D instead of C), as he has easily the best shot in the organization, even if he plays as the 6th defenseman and top PP.

Yup and Tage should draw more of the attention that should allow him to get some good looks.

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

Weird move to make at the TDL.

Not at all. The most significant reason for the trade is Norris' health.

We are in full focus to make playoffs. With Norris we didn't know when he would get injured. With Cozens we know someone will be there to play the meaningful games down the stretch.

This trade was about ensuring we had as healthy a lineup possible for as long as possible to get us in.

We have an amazingggggg record with Stutzle/Norris/Pinto in... problem is Norris was oft. injured and if someone else went down, then we were extremely thin.

This changes that and changes this perspective in an extremely important stretch run for us that must see us make the playoffs.