- Sabres center Dylan Cozens did not take part in practice today with what head coach Lindy Ruff called a lower-body aggravation, notes team reporter Jourdon LaBarber. His status for Saturday’s game against Nashville is up in the air as a result. It has been a quiet year for Cozens who has 10 goals and 16 assists in 53 games, numbers that are underwhelming for one of their top-paid forwards which has resulted in plenty of trade speculation.
Sabres Rumors
Trade Interest Growing For Sabres’ Dylan Cozens
Buffalo Sabres’ centerman Dylan Cozens has been at the focal point of trade rumors all season long – but the recent moves of fellow top trade candidates Mikko Rantanen, J.T. Miller, Marcus Pettersson, and Mikael Granlund have made the spotlight even hotter. Cozens now sits as one of the most desired forwards on the trade market. In addition to the Calgary Flames, who were attached to Cozens in mid-January, the Sabres are also said to be receiving interest from the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, and Toronto Maple Leafs, per NHL.com’s Kevin Weekes.
Cozens seems next in the line of young, productive centermen who can’t quite figure it out in Buffalo. He has just 10 goals and 26 points through 53 games. That’s an 82-game pace of just 40 points, which would continue Cozens’ slide in production over the last three seasons. He posted a career-high 31 goals and 68 points in 81 games in the 2022-23 season but fell to just 18 goals and 47 points last year. That halt in scoring has persisted despite Cozens’ role growing over the last two years. His average ice time has climbed from 16:30 in his career year to 17:30 this season – and he’s improved in his ability to win faceoffs and limit opponent shots, evidenced by a 50.4 faceoff-percentage and 49.84 Corsi-for-percentage (CF%). Cozens has shown a lot of strength as a speedy and controlled play-driver, capable of working well with his teammates when they have momentum – though Buffalo hasn’t had the chance to support his style well for much of the year.
Perhaps more notable than his stats is Cozens’ age. He’s still only 23 years old and already has one 30-goal season under his belt. He ranks ninth among all active U24 forwards in career scoring with 192 points in 333 games, in company with players like Brady Tkachuk and Cole Caufield. Those numbers are slightly skewed by Cozens breaking into the league at age 19, though his 0.58 points-per-game scoring still sits among players like Mason McTavish, Joel Farabee, Cole Perfetti, and Anton Lundell. That’s welcome company, and certainly speaks to Cozens’ future potential as he continues to find consistent scoring.
His scoring upside makes it clear why so many teams are eager to buy Cozens away from the Sabres. But the price of a trade will be harder to gauge. The similarly productive Farabee was recently traded to the Flames alongside Morgan Frost in exchange for roster player Andrei Kuzmenko, prospect Jakob Pelletier, and a second and seventh-round draft pick. That framework could help the Sabres find much-needed support for their blue-line without jeopardizing their top-six. But Cozens is one of just 39 players since 2000 to record a 30-goal season before their 22nd birthday, which could warrant a much loftier return. The Sabres were able to swap productive center Casey Mittelstadt for top, young defenseman Bowen Byram at last year’s trade deadline – accomplishing a best-of-both-worlds swap of young, high-upside players. Current trade boards don’t have a clear parallel to Cozens on the open market – perhaps Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson, if Buffalo is willing to add in a substantial premium – but the idea of swapping young forwards could still be optimal for the Sabres.
In the mix of familiar trade rumors, Buffalo’s spot in the standings haven’t changed. The Sabres rank dead-last in the Eastern Conference with a 22-26-5 record and 49 points. That’s even despite a winning uptick as of late – marked by a 6-4-0 record in their last 10 games. The acquisition of Byram has paid dividends for the Sabres early on, but it hasn’t been the boost the team needed to jump up the standings. The same can be said about their trade of Jack Eichel in 2021, which landed them difference-making forwards in Alex Tuch and, to a lesser extent, Peyton Krebs – but still hasn’t tilted the needle. Plenty of interest in Cozens should mean plenty of chance for Buffalo to find a return that’ll work best for them, but they’ll have to be diligent to find a deal that will actually support their roster climb – lest they trade another high-upside scorer well before his prime for a moot return.
Trade Deadline Primer: Buffalo Sabres
With the 4 Nations Face-Off break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Buffalo Sabres.
Another year, another disappointing season for the Sabres franchise. Not only is Buffalo on pace to miss the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season, but they’re tracking toward their seventh bottom-five finish during that stretch.
Record
21-26-5, 8th in the Atlantic
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$26.52MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2025: BUF 1st, BUF 2nd, BUF 3rd, BUF 4th, MIN 4th, BUF 5th, BUF 6th, WSH 7th, NSH 7th, BUF 7th
2026: BUF 1st, BUF 2nd, BUF 3rd, BUF 4th, BUF 5th, BUF 6th, BUF 7th
Trade Chips
Not to be misconstrued as a positive, the Sabres are in a unique position for the upcoming deadline season. Buffalo is saturated with underperforming players and should be open for business regarding just about anybody. Thankfully, one of the only positive takeaways from the current iteration of the Sabres is that there aren’t any expensive contracts significantly weighing down the team long-term.
Even defenseman Owen Power, whose $8.35MM salary could be considered high by many due to his uninspiring play on the defensive side of the puck this season, is ranked 16th in the NHL among defensemen for total cap hits. The percentage of the salary cap he’s taking up will decrease as the cap goes up, and he has plenty of time to improve as a 22-year-old blue-liner.
The two bigger question marks come in the form of forward Dylan Cozens and defenseman Bowen Byram. After this year, Cozens will have five years and $35.5MM left on his contract and has wildly underperformed since his 31-goal, 68-point performance only two years ago. Byram is a restricted free agent after this season and is likely expecting a substantial increase from his $3.85 million salary. 
Byram is the most likely candidate to be traded, although it wouldn’t be surprising to see both players remain with the Sabres after the trade deadline. Buffalo would likely be selling low on Cozens if they attempted to move him, making Byram the highest-value trade asset in the lineup.
The other two valuable trade assets are pending unrestricted free agents Jason Zucker and Henri Jokiharju. The Sabres have the option to retain the salaries of both players, which could slightly enhance their trade return. However, some reports suggest Buffalo may be more interested in extending Zucker than trading him as a rental player.
Team Needs
A Right Shot Top Four Defenseman: The Sabres are a team that continues to have a lot of needs, demonstrated by another season at the bottom of the NHL standings. Their biggest need is a top-four defenseman on the right side who can bump Connor Clifton back to the third pairing, which would better suit his skill set. The Sabres were reportedly in on Jacob Trouba before he was dealt to Anaheim, but it would be wise to find an emerging defenseman to fill that role. That is certainly easier said than done, as right-shot defenders are always at a premium, as demonstrated by the Trouba trade and the fact that the Rangers were able to get out from under his contract. The Sabres are currently ranked 28th in the NHL in goals against, and given the offensive talent they have on the left side of their defense core, they would be wise to look for a defensive defenseman to slot in on the second pairing next to Power. The price will be steep if the Sabres intend to fill that role, however, they will have plenty of cap space this summer and have all of their draft picks for the next three years plus a handful of extra late-round picks this year.
A Top Six Winger: The Sabres bought out Jeff Skinner last summer and then brought in Zucker via free agency on a one-year deal. Zucker has been terrific this year in Buffalo but is a possible candidate to be dealt at the NHL Trade Deadline (if the Sabres can’t sign him) and isn’t an ideal option long-term at 33 years old. The Sabres need a bonafide top-six winger who can bring more of a two-way game to Buffalo’s forward core. The team could wait for Jack Quinn or Zach Benson to emerge and fill the role. However, both men are better suited as third-line players at this early stage of their careers. The Sabres could be patient and wait until the summer to fill the winger role as there are a number of highly coveted wingers who will be available in free agency, although the Sabres might be forced to overpay to bring them to Buffalo given the Sabres lack of recent success.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports.
PHR’s Josh Cybulski contributed to this article.
Buffalo Sabres Recall Felix Sandstrom, Place Mattias Samuelsson On IR
Just ahead of tonight’s matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Buffalo Sabres announced a roster move. Buffalo shared that they’ve recalled goaltender Felix Sandstrom from their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, and have placed defenseman Mattias Samuelsson on injured reserve in a corresponding transaction.
The reasoning behind Sandstrom’s recall is entirely without controversy. Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reported earlier that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is out with a minor injury and that although the team would have called up Devon Levi, there wasn’t enough notice given he’s still in California for the AHL All-Star Challenge.
It’ll be the first time this season that Sandstrom will participate in a backup role for the Sabres. After clearing waivers at the beginning of the season, Sandstrom has spent the entire season with AHL Rochester posting a 9-4-1 record in 14 games with a .900 save percentage and 2.89 goals-against average.
If Buffalo didn’t have Levi waiting in the wings, this would be respectable enough production to warrant an unexpected call-up to the NHL level. Still, the Sabres brought Sandstrom in on a one-year, $775K contract this past summer in case Levi needed to be recalled, not the other way around.
Sadly, Sandstrom’s recall adds further complications for an organization that can barely endure more challenges. Samuelsson will again be placed on injured reserve this season after missing 17 games due to injury.
The Philadelphia, PA, native hasn’t skated in more than 55 contests in a single season since joining Buffalo as a full-time defenseman for the 2021-22 NHL season. The Sabres still owe Samuelsson $21.429MM over the next five years after the 2024-25 campaign — a heavy price for a blue liner that has only maxed out at two-thirds of a full season.
Sabres Recall Isak Rosen, Tage Thompson Day-To-Day
The Sabres recalled winger Isak Rosen from AHL Rochester on Tuesday, per a team announcement. Tyson Kozak was moved to injured reserve in a corresponding transaction after missing Sunday’s win over the Devils with an illness. It turns out the moves were precursors to more injury news today, as head coach Lindy Ruff confirmed leading scorer Tage Thompson won’t play tonight against the Blue Jackets and is day-to-day with the upper-body injury he sustained on a hit from New Jersey winger Stefan Noesen over the weekend (via Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald). Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson also won’t play due to a lower-body issue, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Neither player is expected to miss significant time.
It’s Rosen’s second recall of the season after an eight-day stint on the roster in November. The 2021 first-rounder entered the lineup for a Nov. 23 win over the Sharks, posting zeros across the board in just 6:29 of ice time.
The 21-year-old is having a great season on the farm, leading Rochester with 23 goals and 39 points in 40 games. It’s yet to translate into a legitimate NHL role, but by already setting a career-high in goals, he’s put himself on the radar for a spot on next year’s opening night roster. The Stockholm native is already in his third season of professional hockey stateside and has 57 goals and 126 points in 173 games with the Americans.
He’s still looking for his first NHL point as he gears up to play game No. 9 of his career tonight. He’s expected to skate in a third-line role with Jiri Kulich and JJ Peterka, presumably receiving more ice time than he did in November.
Thompson exits after Noesen caught him in the head with an open-ice hit early in the third period of Sunday’s game. It earned the Devils forward a match penalty but no supplemental discipline, which Ruff said was surprising. He’s the Sabres’ lone point-per-game player, leading the club with 26 goals and 48 points in 47 games. He had four goals and eight points in his last three games until the Noesen hit, so he’s an even more significant short-term loss for the Sabres with how he’d been playing in the last few days.
Samuelsson, 24, had suited up in nine straight after missing two with an illness. He’s averaging 18:31 per game this season, the lowest since his rookie stint in 2020-21, and has nine points with a minus-two rating in 35 appearances.
Team Finland Adds Henri Jokiharju, Urho Vaakanainen To 4-Nations Roster
Team Finland has added Buffalo Sabres defenseman Henri Jokiharju and New York Rangers defenseman Urho Vaakanainen to their 4-Nations Face-Off roster. The duo will fill in after Miro Heiskanen and Jani Hakanpaa each suffered injuries that will hold them out through February. They will join Esa Lindell (Dallas), Olli Maatta (Utah), Niko Mikkola (Florida), Rasmus Ristolainen (Philadelphia), and Juuso Valimaki (Utah) on Finland’s blue line.
Finland was down to the wire in finding replacements for their pair of injuries. There are only 11 active Finnish defensemen in the NHL. With this news, Team Finland has already invited nine of those names to the tournament – leaving Ville Heinola (Winnipeg) and Nikolas Matinpalo (Ottawa) as the only two to not receive a call from team general manager Jere Lehtinen. Heinola and Matinpalo are the only active Finns to play in the AHL this season, excluding Hakanpaa’s pair of minor league outings during a conditioning stint.
While their output pales in comparison to who they’re replacing, Finland will get a nice match of styles in Jokiharju and Vaakanainen. The former has been an aggressive two-way defenseman for the Sabres this season. He only has four points through 36 games this season, but has posted a +6 – just the second positive plus-minus of his seven-year NHL career. He posted his first, a +14, through 74 games last season – and coupled it with a career-high 20 points. Jokiharju is working to rediscover those numbers this season, but nonetheless brings stout neutral zone control to the Finnish lineup. While he controls north of the blue line, Vaakanainen will be tasked with filling Hakanpaa’s stout defensive role. Vaakanainen began this season with the Anaheim Ducks but joined the Rangers after just five games, as part of the deal that sent Jacob Trouba to the west coast. Vaakanainen has since stepped into 21 games with New York, filling a bottom pair role and recording five assists, 10 penalty minutes, and a +2. He’s also been a quietly impactful defender in New York state, bringing physicality and size to a Rangers blue line in need of both. He’ll bring the same attributes to the 4-Nations tournament, and hopefully blend with Jokiharju well enough to somewhat match the top-tier impact lost by Heiskanen’s injury.
Afternoon Notes: Kulich, Stolarz, Savage, Durzi
The Buffalo Sabres cleared up space in their bottom six by placing winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel on waivers. After the team’s practice, head coach Lindy Ruff shared that the decision was influenced by how well 20-year-old Jiri Kulich has performed as of late, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Ruff elaborated that the team will face a roster crunch with Jordan Greenway expected to return to practice soon. An undisclosed injury has forced Greenway out of 28 of Buffalo’s last 32 games.
Through the weeds of roster moves, this news shines a spotlight on Kulich. The young center recorded the first three-point game of his career last Tuesday, and was promptly awarded with the most ice time of his career on Thursday. Kulich didn’t manage any scoring, but made sure to find the scoresheet in Buffalo’s Saturday game – scoring one goal on a career-high seven shots. He’s playing much more confident and determined than he was earlier in the year, and the Sabres seem ready to reward him with a hardier role and a chance to prove his worth.
Across the Atlantic Division, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube told media after practice that he won’t hold back goaltender Anthony Stolarz if he’s healthy before the league breaks for the 4-Nations Face-Off, captured in a video from TSN. Stolarz participated in his first full practice after missing the last 21 games with a knee injury. He’s been upgraded to day-to-day and nearing a return, but will have just five chances left to return before the Leafs go on a two-week break.
Stolarz effectively leads the league in save percentage among goalies with 10-or-more games played. He’s recorded a .927 through just 17 games this season, backed by a stout 9-5-2 record. Stolarz seemed to be the reliability in net that Toronto had been seeking, but his untimely injury has put the team in a challenging spot. The Leafs have been outscored 70-to-69 since Stolarz’s injury, though they’ve still managed a 12-9-0 record. His return will be hotly anticipated as, hopefully, the catalyzing piece of a second-half run in Toronto.
Traveling south of Toronto, Michigan State Spartans captain and Detroit Red Wings prospect Redmond Savage has suffered a season-ending injury, Spartans head coach Adam Nightingale told local reporter Conor Earegood of Detroit News Sports. Savage’s season will end with 11 points in 20 games – a dip in scoring pace from his 27 points in 38 games last season, but still a better pace than his two years at Miami University of Ohio. Detroit drafted Savage in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft, but haven’t yet signed him to his entry-level contract. They will lose his rights next summer if he doesn’t sign.
Finally, out in the plains of the Western Conference, Utah Hockey Club defender Sean Durzi returned to the team’s practices on Tuesday. Durzi has missed Utah’s last 45 games with a shoulder injury. Head coach Andre Tourigny joked about the defender’s return to Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune, saying that Durzi looked a bit rusty but that the team is incredibly excited to have him back. Utah signed Durzi to a four-year, $24MM contract this summer, but he’s so far only played four games on the deal. He was still productive enough to illicit excitement in the brief showing – recording two assists, seven penalty minutes, and a +2. Durzi will likely return to a role on Utah’s second pair, once he eases his way back to full practice.
Sabres To Reassign Nicolas Aubé-Kubel
Jan. 28: Aubé-Kubel cleared waivers, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The Sabres announced they’ve recalled forward Tyson Kozak from Rochester in a corresponding move.
Jan. 27: The Buffalo Sabres placed winger Nicolas Aubé-Kubel on waivers Monday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He’ll head to AHL Rochester tomorrow if he clears.
This roster move marks the fourth time in his seven-year NHL career that Aubé-Kubel has been placed on the waiver wire. He was claimed by the Colorado Avalanche from the Philadelphia Flyers in 2021, claimed by the Washington Capitals from the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2022, and went through unscathed at the beginning of last season. Granted, all those waiver claims came when Aubé-Kubel was making significantly less.
He signed the richest contract of his career this past summer with the Sabres. Buffalo gave Aubé-Kubel a one-year, $1.5MM contract in the hopes he would help reimagine the bottom six of their forward group. Unfortunately, Aubé-Kubel is amidst the least productive season of his career registering a measly one goal and one assist in 19 games with the Sabres.
Still, Aubé-Kubel lost a few games at the beginning of the season due to a lower-body injury which could help explain his decrease in productivity. He’s continued to be a very physical forward in Buffalo and is managing the third-highest CorsiFor% of his career at even strength with a 52.0% mark albeit in limited action.
Some less physical teams such as the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, and Capitals could use a player with Aubé-Kubel’s expertise. However, given his relatively high salary for a player destined for a lower-tier role, it would be unsurprising to see Aubé-Kubel go unclaimed over the next 24 hours.
Canucks Receiving Interest In Elias Pettersson
Over the past few weeks, the expectation has been that if Vancouver winds up moving one of its top two centers, that player was likely to be J.T. Miller. Last weekend, a potential deal was close enough that the Canucks pondered scratching him but the move never materialized and Miller remained in the lineup that night.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, various reports indicated that Carolina was in discussion with Vancouver about both Miller and Elias Pettersson with various proposed offers for either one. Ultimately, neither of those happened with the Hurricanes instead pivoting to adding Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall from Colorado and Chicago respectively.
But with discussions for Miller not seemingly going well, it appears that teams are still calling about Pettersson. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Sabres are believed to be among the teams showing a lot of interest in the 26-year-old. The Fourth Period suggests that the Senators could be a team to keep an eye on as well.
Pettersson is in the first season of an eight-year, $92.8MM contract, or a cap hit of $11.6MM per season. Notably, since this is the final of his original RFA-eligible years, Pettersson doesn’t have any form of trade protection. Miller, on the other hand, has a full no-move clause which could make things more complicated for the Canucks.
Two years ago, Pettersson put up his first 100-point season, picking up 39 goals and 63 assists in 80 games. He wasn’t quite able to reach those numbers in 2023-24 but still managed 34 goals and 55 helpers, giving him another season of over a point per game. While that wasn’t elite production, it was still legitimate top-line numbers at a premium position.
Unfortunately for both Pettersson and the Canucks, the decline in output has continued into this season. He has 11 goals and 19 assists through 42 games, putting him fifth on Vancouver in scoring. While some believe his struggles are at least in some part related to the apparent rift between him and Miller, it’s clear that the Canucks are expecting much more from him either way.
Both Buffalo and Ottawa have younger centers on long-term deals that would seemingly serve as starting points for a Pettersson offer. Dylan Cozens is only two years removed from a 31-goal, 68-point season and is signed through 2030 at $7.1MM per year. Meanwhile, Josh Norris has a 35-goal campaign under his belt from 2021-22 and checks in at $7.95MM per season through 2030.
Neither player is a number one middleman but would give Vancouver a serviceable second option behind Miller. Of course, those would only be the starting point of offers and finding the other pieces needed will determine whether a swap gets past the finish line. And again, other teams are believed to be interested as it’s not too often that a top-line center in his prime becomes available.
At this point, it doesn’t look like the Canucks are getting the types of offers they’re hoping for to get a Miller trade done. As a result, a Pettersson move looks like it’s starting to become a bit more palatable so expect GM Patrik Allvin to be fielding more calls about his young center in the coming days.
Sabres Activate Ryan McLeod Off IR, Assign Tyson Kozak To AHL
As expected, the Sabres announced today that they have activated center Ryan McLeod off injured reserve. To make room for him on the active roster, center Tyson Kozak has been assigned back to AHL Rochester.
McLeod’s activation should come as little surprise as he was a full participant in practice on Friday with the team indicating at that time that he was expected to play against his former team today and line up on the second line. He winds up missing just three games with a nagging upper-body injury.
The 25-year-old was acquired from Edmonton in the summer along with prospect Tyler Tullio in exchange for prospect Matthew Savoie. He has fit in well with the Sabres and enters play today tied for sixth in team scoring with blueliner Owen Power. McLeod has 10 goals and 15 assists in 45 games this season while winning over 52% of his draws, the best rate of Buffalo’s full-time middlemen. He carries a $2.1MM cap charge this season and will be a restricted free agent with salary arbitration rights this summer.
As for Kozak, the 22-year-old has gotten into nine games with the Sabres this season during his three recalls, his first taste of NHL action. He has just one point – a goal – in those outings while blocking 14 shots in 10:36 of playing time.
Kozak is in his third professional season and generally hasn’t been particularly productive with the Amerks. He had 10 points in his rookie year and 12 last season. However, he has already matched that mark this season with six goals and six assists in 24 games in Rochester which should help his case as he’s set to become a restricted free agent with his entry-level deal expiring at the end of June.