As the NHL’s March 7 trade deadline draws near, the Toronto Maple Leafs will continue to be linked to many teams and much-rumored-about players.
One of those players is Buffalo Sabres star center Dylan Cozens. ESPN and NHL Network’s Kevin Weekes reported expressed interest in Cozens from Toronto, the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings and Calgary Flames. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun also said on Tuesday about two-thirds of the NHL has checked in with Buffalo about Cozens, for what it’s worth.
Before Maple Leafs fans get too excited about Cozens wearing Blue and White, let’s look at the reality of the situation and see how likely it really is the Leafs will acquire Cozens.
The biggest hurdle in Toronto landing Cozens is his salary and the term he still has left on his current contract. The 23-year-old’s cap hit of $7.1 million runs for another five seasons left after this one. That’s a lot of time left on a deal for a player who hasn’t returned to the form that saw him post 31 goals and 68 points in 2022-23. Given that Cozens had 47 points in 79 games last season and only has 10 goals and 26 points in 53 games this season, there’s a possibility that he continues to underwhelm.
The Maple Leafs don’t exactly have that much cap space to grab him this season, either. With goaltender Anthony Stolarz off long-term injured reserve and back in action, the team has about $2.2 million in cap space. Even with retained salary, Toronto has more cap space it must clear before fitting him in.
Even with the significantly rising salary cap ceiling, acquiring Cozens would be a massive gamble for the future.
The Leafs would likely benefit from a more accomplished, proven veteran with less contract term and money than Cozens carries. This is why there’s been steady speculation a player like the Islanders’ Brock Nelson would be a far better fit with Toronto. Nelson is a pure rental, and his $6-million cap hit is slightly easier to fit into the Buds’ tight cap situation. Even if the Islanders keep Nelson for the push to the playoffs – they’re 8-2-0 in their last 10 games – there are other cheaper options for veteran centers this season.
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The other issue that should put the brakes on Cozens-to-the-Leafs hype is the price tag it would take to make a deal work for the Sabres. Cozens is still not even close to his prime years, so it wouldn’t benefit Buffalo to accept anything less than the perfect offer this season.
LeBrun mentioned it would have to be a hockey deal for the Sabres to consider moving Cozens. Buffalo’s still trying to end their decade-plus playoff drought, so trading Cozens without getting at least an NHL player who can help push the team into the post-season for years to come seems unlikely. And it’s doubtful Toronto would want to trade one, either, considering they’re trying to add players to go deep into the playoffs.
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Now, is there a chance Toronto chooses to go all-in on a youngster like Cozens? Sure, there is. But it’s a remote chance at best, and that’s before considering the Sabres and Maple Leafs are division rivals. There are just too many potential pitfalls to have a Cozens-to-Toronto trade come to fruition. The Sabres do need to make a splash and go in a different direction, but moving Cozens to the Leafs just doesn’t make sense.
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