Dylan Cozens is likely ready to forget the 2023-24 season. The Buffalo Sabres were among the most exciting stories heading into the campaign and expectations were high. But after experiencing major disappointment, Cozens arrived at the 2024 IIHF World Championships with something to prove. In 10 games with Team Canada, the 23-year-old center became one of the biggest stories of the tournament.
Disappointing NHL Season
Cozens entered 2023-24 after coming off of a season of career-highs in games (81), goals (31), assists (37), and points (68). To be fair, the entire franchise took a step back in 2023-24. Injuries to key players like Tage Thompson resulted in drop-offs from major players. Cozens fell to 18 goals and 47 points, publicly lamenting that the Sabres were “way too soft” at one point.
The Sabres missed the playoffs for a 13th season, by far the longest drought in the NHL and a contender for the longest among major North American sports. Only the New York Jets, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2010, have a longer stretch of disappointment.
Cozens’ Chance to Reset
Coming into the World Championships, Cozens could go one of two ways. He could let the negativity of the NHL season continue to drag down his performance, or he could step up and take on a bigger role for Team Canada.
Good players can put a bad season in the rearview mirror, and Cozens chose the latter, shifting his focus to becoming the best player he could be for Canada.
Cozens’ Fantastic Performance
Cozens was quiet in the first game of the round-robin, going pointless against Great Britain. He scored a late first-period goal in a 5-1 win over Denmark in the second game to start a flood of fantastic performances. He kicked off the scoring in an exciting 7-6 overtime win over Austria, and by the time the Czechia game rolled around, Cozens was certifiably hot. His two goals, including the overtime winner, came on the heels of two goals against the Swiss. He became the talk of the tournament.
With eight goals in seven games, there was talk that Cozens would be named Player of the Tournament. That’s quite a shift from a season in which he found it difficult to find the net.
Unfortunately, Team Canada’s ride came to an end in a stunning 3-2 loss to the Swiss in the semifinals; Cozens was pointless in the defeat. He picked up his ninth goal of the tournament, two more than Kevin Fiala, Brady Tkachuk, and Joel Eriksson-Ek, in a bronze medal loss to Sweden.
However, leading the tournament in goals and finishing near the top in points (11 in 10 games) should give Cozens a nice boost of confidence heading into the fall. The international hockey scene is more competitive than ever, so his dominance was no small feat.
Preview of 2024-25 NHL Season?
Cozens’ performance at the World Championships was one of the featured stories, and hopefully, the kind of confidence-builder that can carry over into the 2024-25 season. He showed a dangerous shot and more aggression to get the puck on net than he has in a while. His confidence was no doubt shaken by the tough NHL season, but this was the Cozens that Sabres fans were thrilled about following his breakout campaign in 2022-23.
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Entering his fifth season in the NHL, 2024-25 could be a make-or-break campaign for the young pivot. Can he get back to the 31-goal, 68-point season we saw two years ago? After his performance in Czechia, I think we got a glimpse of the real Cozens.
