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Confirmed with Link: [OTT/BUT] Josh Norris & JBD traded for Dylan Cozens, Dennis Gilbert & 2026 2nd

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Nac Mac Feegle said:
So...how good is Gilbert?

And does this freaking site run on a potato or something?
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Gilbert is acquired as an enforcer. He is not going to play more than a few minutes a game. One of the things that the Senators wanted this TDL was an enforcer, because they don't want Brady having to fight, and this team gets taken advantage of.

It is going to be difficult because he is a defenseman. Unless we dress 7D, that puts us in a tough situation if anybody goes down mid-game, because dressing Gilbert is like already being down by one defenseman. It's easier to hide an enforcer on the 4th line than it is on D.

His job is to bring physicality, act as a deterrent, and fight people.
 
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L'Aveuglette said:
Getting a 2nd round pick on top of Cozens is a big deal for this team. Really liking the trade now even tho I wish he'd have gotten Peterka instead.

I guess Gilbert will be an AHL guy?
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Gilbert is our new #6D given how little Green plays Mantinpalo/Kleven.

He plays 10 minutes a night and hits/punches people. This team has been taken advantage of and bullied all year, it has been a problem for years in fact. So as much as people hate to admit it, fighting and enforcing is still part of the game. It's not like it was in the 1980s, but a younger softer team like us needs a goon.
 
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frightenedinmatenum2 said:
Gilbert is acquired as an enforcer. He is not going to play more than a few minutes a game. One of the things that the Senators wanted this TDL was an enforcer, because they don't want Brady having to fight, and this team gets taken advantage of.

It is going to be difficult because he is a defenseman. Unless we dress 7D, that puts us in a tough situation if anybody goes down mid-game, because dressing Gilbert is like already being down by one defenseman. It's easier to hide an enforcer on the 4th line than it is on D.

His job is to bring physicality, act as a deterrent, and fight people.
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Gilbert is a temporary replacement for Kleven. Just a stopgap. He probably won't be in the lineup when we're healthy, enforcer or not. Unless Kleven struggles.
 
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Erik Alfredsson said:
I can't reiterate how much Cozens f***ing sucks. Honestly, the 2nd round pick is more valuable, I'm not even joking. Use it to go get Donato or something.
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Dude have you even seen him play outside of the few games against Ottawa? He's obviously struggled along with that whole team but he's also shown he can produce at a high pace so I can absolutely see him get back to 60-ish points here. Plus, he's not at risk of ending his career with another shoulder injury like Norris is so that's a major plus.

Also, if he "f***ing sucked" I doubt numerous GMs around the league would have been in on him.
 
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Sabres fan here--hope Cozens can turn it around for y'all except when we meet. Really seemed like getting his face beaten in by Garnet Hathaway last year in a meaningless fight in a blowout loss completely broke him. He went from being a strong-skating, fairly dynamic playmaker with some defensive warts to looking like a literal kid amongst men most nights.

He's never been the strongest guy, but he's rarely looked confident for more than a game or two at a time over the past year and a half--he just loses an insane amount of puck battles on walls and can get knocked off the puck or stripped from behind far too often for someone who likes lugging the mail. He used to be a solid play-connector/facilitator type who could also use his speed and shot to take passes and either fire the puck quickly or get into open space and beat defenders in one-on-one situations, but his puck skills as of late are abysmal. Like many Sabres, his decision-making is spotty at best.

Cozens also really hasn't developed his defensive game much at all, but he's usually playing with at least one floater type at wing, and a lot of our defensemen and pretty much all our assistant coaches suck, so I'm hesitant to put all the blame on him. Hope he can bounce back and rediscover his old game from a couple years ago--he used to be a lot of fun to watch.
 
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I was prepared for this given how much Norris' name has come up. I think this will work out and I like the slightly lower salary plus the extra pick. JBD is whatever, cannon fodder basically. I like Norris, and would have liked to see him tried on the wing with Stu, but I agree with the sentiment that he is not a good playmaker and his fit at center is questionable.

We've done some work for Dylan at our law firm here in Whitehorse, so I'm pretty excited about this development.
 
Scary trade but lots of positives I think. Cozens is younger, bigger and healthier. He's also a wee bit cheaper and signed long term so its not a short term thing. As a player he's better 5v5 offensively and a better playmaker. I like that he shoots right as well.

However, he's not as good scoring goals and he's significantly worse defensively. Hopefully the defensive issues can be rectified with Green though.

The second round pick is tasty as well and allows us to explore options the rest of the day. I don't see this as a bad trade even though I loved Norris and wish him well. I also think Cozens is less risky and easier to move in the future if things don't go as planned.
 
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L'Aveuglette said:
Dude have you even seen him play outside of the few games against Ottawa? He's obviously struggled along with that whole team but he's also shown he can produce at a high pace so I can absolutely see him get back to 60-ish points here. Plus, he's not at risk of ending his career with another shoulder injury like Norris is so that's a major plus.

Also, if he "f***ing sucked" I doubt numerous GMs around the league would have been in on him.
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I've watched him enough. No IQ whatsoever. Nothing between the ears. Has talent, has size. Has all the tools, no toolbox. Weak mentally, gets frustrated too easily and he got KOed by Hathaway a year and a bit back and he's never been the same since.
 
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I am listening to Seravalli on youtube: he said there was a ton of interest in Cozens around the league, and there is a lot of frustrated GMs that they couldn't get the deal done. He said a lot of GMs believe Cozens still has great upside which begs the question, why would Buffalo let him go?
 
I think this is a terrible trade .

Cozens is Bambi on skates, and severely lacks hockey IQ. His contract only saves us close to 800k

Yes Norris is one hit away from retirement but who cares ? He was the better player and if he does get hurt you Robidas island him.

Not a a good trade
 
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We have Cousins and Cozens now lmao.

Saves up cap space, and Norris should be easy to play against within our own division. Hit him a bit and he'll disappear.

Maybe put Cozens on the wing? I think he's better suited there.
 
Puikiou said:
Norris can skate and shoot a puck, but he can't pass it, drive the play down the middle or make his wingers better. All important attributes for a top 6 center. He's 100% reliant on a playmaking winger like Batherson to score at even strength as a center. Fwiw, I was actually against trading him and in favor of moving him to Stützle's wing to maximizehis strength. However, Cozens is a tremendous return with (again) immense potential. No fan of Staios so far, but this trade is a win and it won't be long before you/most fans are on board. Add in the 2nd and it's a homerun.

In response to @Burrowsaurus a couple of days ago:

"What harm could it possibly cause to play Norris on Stützle wings for a few games? The "good center" you're describing has 16 even strength points in 52 games this year and 65 assits in 235 career games mostly playing with our best wingers in the top 6.

Josh Norris is a good player, but he's NOT an NHL center. That much is obvious for people with eyes.

If he was in fact a "good center", he would not be on the trade block, as teams NEVER move 25yo, "good centers" that happen to be locked up long term."
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Norris was overpaid for what he provided and injury prone. JBD is easily replaceable and has lost his RD spot to Matinpalo.

Cozens seems to be overpaid too for what he provides but possibly by not as much as Norris. Cozens is virtually 2 years younger and seems to have good potential. Getting the second round pick is great. Getting Gilbert to add physicality and toughness on D is great too; however, Gilbert may not be a good D (I don't know him and he has been moved around the league so that is a bad sign); we shall see.
 
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