If you’ve been paying any attention at all to the Blackhawks on social media, news outlets and podcasts, you’ve heard the name Dylan Cozens pop up more than a few times. The 23-year-old two-way center has been the biggest name mentioned in trade talks. It's been nearly a month since the Sabres’ last win, so it’s likely time for a change in Buffalo – could Cozens being shipped off be that change?
If this conversation was happening two seasons ago, every team in the NHL would be clamoring for him. In the 2022-23 season, Cozens had about as big of a breakout as anyone could, picking up 31 goals and 68 points. Last season, he saw his numbers dip, putting up just 47 points. This year, he’s been a huge letdown, with just 13 points in 31 games. There’s a reason the former seventh overall pick could be in line for a move.
However, there are plenty of reasons for teams to be excited to pick him up. Cozens has taken a team-high 492 faceoffs, winning 49.4 percent of them. He’s still young and has plenty of upside.
If the Blackhawks make a move on the young forward, it’ll cost them – perhaps too much. For starters, he’s set to make $7.1 million every year until 2030. Chicago doesn’t need another Seth Jones contract on its hands, as the Blackhawks will hopefully be in their championship window by then.
In addition, while Cozens’ production has plummeted, he’ll still fetch a big return if he’s traded. The Sabres are looking to contend sooner than the Blackhawks will, with their window to contend just recently opening. That means Chicago can’t interest Buffalo in its prospects, unless they’re top NHL-ready guys like Kevin Korchinski or Frank Nazar. The Sabres are still a young team, so they won’t be interested in old rentals like Taylor Hall. Instead, they’ll be looking for talented players with term. Could someone like Teuvo Teravainen be of interest? Maybe at the start of the season, but not since his value has dropped.
That means the cost could include someone like Lukas Reichel and at least another prospect or two. That’s where Chicago will draw the line. With what the Blackhawks have seen from their Rockford pipeline already, even names like Colton Dach and Ethan Del Mastro are too valuable to give away at this stage.
Finally, do the Blackhawks need another center? This year, absolutely. But I think we can all agree that this season is pretty much a lost one – Chicago doesn’t exactly look like it’s headed to the playoffs. In the future, the Blackhawks could have plenty of center depth. Assuming both Connor Bedard and Nazar stay put down the middle, they’ll also potentially have players like Oliver Moore, Sacha Boisvert, Dominic James and Ryan Greene down the middle. Even if just two of those last four guys pan out, the Blackhawks will be set at center. They will no longer need the services of a two-way guy whose production is dropping like a rock, and certainly won’t want to give up a good chunk of their future for him, let alone pay him over $7 million until 2030. The idea of adding an NHL guy to the current roster is intriguing, but the cost should be way too much for Chicago to bite.
