Two seasons ago, in the midst of a breakout 31-goal campaign, the Buffalo Sabres labeled center Dylan Cozens as one of their cornerstones, awarding him a seven-year contract extension.
Today, after two disappointing seasons, Cozens is gone, having been traded to the Ottawa Senators with defenseman Dennis Gilbert and a second-round pick in 2026 in exchange for center Josh Norris and defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker.
The trade deadline hits at 3 p.m.
General manager Kevyn Adams, of course, is under intense scrutiny to overhaul his last-place Sabres, who will miss the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season.
Norris, 25, is an intriguing talent. Left shoulder problems – he has undergone three surgeries since 2019 – forced him to miss 108 games over the previous two seasons. He has remained healthy this year, however, scoring 20 goals and 33 points in 53 games.
The Michigan native will possibly slide into Cozens’ old spot as the Sabres’ second-line center.
Having won 53.8 percent of his faceoffs this season, he can help in the dot. That number ranks first on the Sabres.
The 6-foot-2, 196-pound Norris set career highs by scoring 35 goals and 55 points in 66 games in 2021-22. He’s in the third season of an eight-year, $63.6 million contract.
The San Jose Sharks drafted him 19th overall in 2017. The Senators acquired him in 2018 in the blockbuster deal that sent defenseman Erik Karlsson to the Sharks.
After spending two years at the University of Michigan, he earned AHL top rookie honors in 2019-20, scoring 30 goals and 61 points in 56 games for the Belleville Senators.
He has compiled 90 goals and 156 points in 236 career NHL games since 2020-21.
Meanwhile, Bernard-Docker, 24, offers the Sabres defense depth. He has compiled one goal and four points in 23 games this season.
The 6-foot-1, 198-pound Docker has spent parts of the last five seasons in Ottawa, registering five goals and 29 points in 129 outings. He played a career-high 72 games last season.
The Senators drafted the Alberta native 26th overall in 2018. He spent three years at the University of North Dakota.
Bernard-Docker is in the second season of a two-year, $1.61 million contract. He can become a restricted free agent following the season.
The deal follows months of speculation the Sabres were looking to trade Cozens.
Cozens, 24, has struggled since inking his $49.7 million extension, scoring just 29 goals over the last two seasons. He has compiled 11 goals, 31 points and a minus-13 rating in 61 games this year.
After Buffalo’s previous regime drafted the Yukon native seventh overall in 2019, he joined the Sabres in 2020-21.
As the team’s and his own problems mounted over the past two seasons, frustration sometimes overwhelmed Cozens, and he occasionally fought opponents or earned misconducts.
Cozens often talked about what a tight-knit group the Sabres have become and his love for his teammates.
Gilbert, 28, was the Sabres’ only player from Buffalo. He offered them toughness, sometimes as their seventh defender.
The Sabres host the Ottawa Senators, their Atlantic Division rival, on March 25.
Check back for more on this developing story.