The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to have a more successful campaign than last season after they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in seven games by the Boston Bruins, and it seems as though they’re looking to upgrade in hopes of winning their first Stanley Cup since 1967. While there have been reports recently that they could look to add a centre to bolster their centre depth, one player they should consider bringing in is Buffalo Sabres’ Dylan Cozens. The Sabres have been struggling this season, and it seems like it’s a matter of time before they decide to start making moves to shake up their roster, and the Maple Leafs should take advantage.
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Cozens, who is 23 years old, has scored seven goals and added eight assists for 15 points through 34 games this season. He has 314 career games under his belt scoring 73 goals and adding 108 assists for 181 points which comes out to a 0.57 points-per-game average. He has established himself as a strong two-way forward with a high upside to becoming an elite offensive producer for a contending team. While his cap hit may cause an issue in terms of getting a trade done, it is still something the Maple Leafs should consider inquiring about if they want to bolster their depth up the middle.
Cozens’ Potential Makes Him Enticing Trade Target
The Maple Leafs’ prospect system is not the strongest in the NHL and could be among the weakest in the league. Bringing in a young guy like Cozens would be an enticing idea for any team considering his potential as a player and depending on the asking price from the Sabres, most teams would try and acquire him if he ever became available. The main issue with acquiring Cozens would be his $7.1 million cap hit considering the Maple Leafs are already tight to the cap. However, they should be willing to move out money to be able to bring him in.
Cozens was drafted 7th overall by the Sabres in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft after a strong showing in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Lethbridge Hurricanes where he scored 34 goals and added 50 assists for 84 points through 68 games. He would return to the Hurricanes the following season as their captain where he scored 38 goals and added 47 assists for 85 points through 51 games. He made his NHL debut in the 2020-21 season and played 41 games, scoring four goals and adding nine assists for 13 points in his rookie campaign.
He followed up his rookie campaign with a strong 2021-22 campaign where he scored 13 goals and added 25 assists for 38 points through 79 games. His 2022-23 campaign remains his career-high in goals, assists, and points as he scored 31 goals and added 37 assists for 68 points through 81 games. His 2023-24 campaign was solid as well, as he scored 18 goals and added 29 assists for 47 points through 79 games.
His consistency stands out as he has been able to maintain around a half-point-per-game average throughout his entire career, and he plays a sound defensive game. The Maple Leafs have been considered a team that can’t perform in the playoffs for several seasons and they would love to move away from that narrative. Bringing in a strong player like Cozens who can do it all would help them move away from that narrative, despite his lack of playoff experience. While he hasn’t played seen the postseason during his NHL career just yet, he plays a style that would compliment the rest of their lineup well during the playoffs.
How Could the Maple Leafs Make a Trade Work?
The Maple Leafs don’t have a lot of flexibility in terms of moving money out to make a deal for Cozens work. The easiest contract to move would be Ryan Reaves, who has been an extra forward for the majority of his tenure with the team. His $1.35 million cap hit might be something that a rebuilding team would be willing to take on if it was just for future considerations, but that wouldn’t be nearly enough to bring in Cozens just yet.
Realistically, moving Max Domi and having the Sabres retain money, as well as adding a third team to retain even more money, would be the only way this deal works. It would be a complicated move to make, and the Maple Leafs would have to be willing to move prospects and draft picks to make it worth it for the Sabres in return, and Domi would have to waive his clause in order to approve the deal. Realistically, a deal like this would have plenty of moving parts making it unlikely, but Cozens would still be a strong addition if the two sides can somehow make it work.
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