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Kristen Shilton
The Buffalo Sabres made a splash ahead of the NHL’s trade deadline on Friday, sending forward Dylan Cozens, defenseman Dennis Gilbert and a 2026 second-round draft choice to the Ottawa Senators for forward Josh Norris and defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker, the teams announced.
The transaction features two former first-round draftees in Cozens and Norris on long-term deals looking to tap into their full potential.
Cozens, 23, is a dynamic scoring center but has lacked consistency in his short career to date. He’s just two seasons removed from a 31-goal campaign that earned Cozens a seven-year, $49.7 million contract. The forward followed that up with just 18 goals and 47 points last year, and has just 31 points through 61 games this season. He’s also been prone to defensive issues coupled with unreliable production.
Through the growing pains, Buffalo was determined to give Cozens — the club’s seventh overall pick in 2019 — due time to find his footing. The fact they’re moving on now indicates perhaps even a larger changing of the guard for the Sabres from their current core.
In Ottawa, Cozens can be a durable first- or second-line skater, and will have a clean slate with the Senators’ young core primed to take another step towards putting the Senators back in playoff contention.
Buffalo restocks now with Norris, a speedy center with greater two-way potential and playmaking ability than he’s shown consistently in Ottawa. The 25-year-old is having one of his best seasons so far in Ottawa, gathering 20 goals and 33 points in 53 games. He should provide the Sabres with middle-six depth down the middle and add to their stable of talented rising stars. And the Sabres will have Norris in-house for years to come — he’s currently in the third season of an eight-year deal carrying a massive $7.95 million cap hit.
The lingering concern with Norris though is health. He’s had three left-shoulder surgeries that limited his availability to just 58 games from 2022-24. He also suffered a mid-body injury already this season that held him out of Ottawa’s lineup for nearly a month.
Bernard-Docker, in turn, is another depth piece for Buffalo’s backend, bringing a solid stay-at-home mentality.
Buffalo was busy prior to finalizing the Cozens’ deal as well — the Sabres also inked veteran forward Jason Zucker had signed a two-year, $9.5 million extension.