One of the more intriguing moves at this year’s NHL trade deadline involved a straight-up swap between the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres.
The Senators parted ways with Josh Norris, acquiring Dylan Cozens in a move that signalled a fresh start for both franchises and the players involved, each of whom had once been viewed as foundational pieces.
At one point, both players seemed poised to deliver on their potential.
Back in 2021–22, Josh Norris notched 35 goals and 55 points in just 66 games, good enough to earn him a significant contract extension. Cozens followed that up the next season with a breakout of his own, scoring 31 goals and totaling 68 points across 81 games. That performance also secured him a hefty deal.
But expectations haven’t quite materialized. Norris has struggled to stay healthy, while Cozens has found it difficult to maintain consistency on the ice.
That led to the March trade, with Senators GM Steve Staios and Sabres GM Kevyn Adams swapping underperformers in the hopes that a new environment would spark something new.
For Norris, the change didn’t help. He only suited up for three games with Buffalo before being sidelined again with injury.
“He’s dealing with something he brought over from Ottawa,” Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters at the time. “He’s working through it, but he won’t play until he’s ready.”
Ultimately, Norris didn’t return and was shut down for the rest of the season.
Cozens, on the other hand, made a notable first impression in Ottawa. He came over with 11 goals and 31 points in 61 games but added another 16 points in just 21 games for the Senators. Given Norris’s recurring injuries, Cozens looks like the better fit at the moment.
Still, it’s a limited sample. The bigger question isn’t whether he’s better than Norris—it’s whether he can rediscover the form that once made him a 30-goal scorer on the cusp of 70 points. That kind of production is critical if Ottawa wants to seriously contend, especially from its second-line center.
But the same inconsistency that defined Cozens’ time in Buffalo could easily resurface.
With any trade, it’s fair to ask: why was this player even available? If Cozens is the right answer for Ottawa now, why wasn’t he good enough for a Buffalo team desperate to break its record-long playoff drought?
Ruff addressed the matter during a media availability following the trade.
“Early on, he was trying to find his game,” Ruff explained. “There were glimpses—like that Tampa game—but he just couldn’t quite find it consistently. Maybe being off the first power-play unit hurt his numbers a bit. There were a few factors. But in the end, we thought it was a fair deal for both sides.”
While Cozens brought a boost to Ottawa’s offence late in the season, it’s far too soon to call it a full resurgence. To truly cement his value, he’ll need to show that he can handle the pressure of a full 82-game campaign on a playoff-hungry team.
The Senators aren’t without options. They have Shane Pinto waiting in the wings—an alternative at centre who’d likely jump at the chance for the power-play time Cozens was handed upon joining the team.
But relying too heavily on Pinto could get messy shortly. He’s a restricted free agent this coming summer and currently plays on a \$3.75 million deal. That’s a bargain compared to Cozens’ $7.1 million annual contract, which runs through the next five seasons.
Right now, Ottawa is betting that Cozens simply lost his edge in Buffalo after years of frustration and losing. At 24, the 6-foot-3 centre has the tools to bounce back and find stability. The Senators are hoping that the “Workhorse from Whitehorse” still has a few big runs left in him—and maybe even a Stanley Cup in his future.
