The Buffalo Sabres are in dire need of significant changes, and perhaps the Philadelphia Flyers could be the team to help facilitate that. Like the Flyers, the Sabres are in the midst of a rebuild. Buffalo boasts the youngest roster in the NHL, while Philadelphia has the fourth-youngest. Neither team is currently in playoff contention—once again—but Buffalo’s situation is more dire. The Sabres have missed the playoffs for 13 straight seasons, setting an unwanted NHL record, and to make matters worse, they are currently on a 12-game losing streak.
“There’s not much really to say. It sucks,” Buffalo forward told reporters this week. Buffalo fans are getting restless. They want moves to be made. Soon.
NHL general managers have been closely monitoring the Sabres, and once the holiday trade freeze ends on Friday, they’re expected to keep their focus on Dylan Cozens, despite his underwhelming season—just seven goals for the struggling 11-18-4 Sabres. This is where the Flyers (14-15-4) should step in. Cozens, a natural center who has been playing mostly wing this year, could be an ideal addition for Philadelphia. His value lies not in his current struggles, but in his potential to become a high-scoring center—something the Flyers desperately need. Philadelphia’s centers have significantly underperformed this season, with their current leading goal-scorer at the position being Sean Couturier, who has only six goals and 11 points in 32 games.
In short, the Flyers are in desperate need of young, productive centers, and Dylan Cozens could be a perfect fit. At just 23 years old, standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 207 pounds, Cozens is two years removed from a 31-goal season. However, his defensive play remains a concern, and a change of scenery could help him improve. Similarly, Flyers center Morgan Frost could benefit from a fresh start as well.
The question is whether a trade involving Frost and versatile winger/center Scott Laughton—who would provide Buffalo with valuable veteran experience and help improve their weak penalty kill—would be enough to land Cozens. If not, the Flyers might consider offering promising defenseman Jamie Drysdale along with Laughton as part of the deal.
Similar Draft Positions
Similar to Cozens, Jamie Drysdale was a highly touted prospect in his draft year. Cozens was selected 7th overall in 2019, while Drysdale, who is now 22 and finally healthy after battling injuries that have hindered his career, was picked 6th overall in 2020.
Morgan Frost, 25, was also a first-round pick, selected 27th overall in 2017. He has scored four goals in 29 games this season and is two years removed from a career-high 19-goal campaign. From the Flyers’ standpoint, they would likely need Buffalo to retain some of Cozens’ $7.1 million annual salary, which runs through the 2029-30 season. The cap hits of Frost ($2.1 million) or Jamie Drysdale ($2.3 million), assuming one of them is included in the trade, don’t align with Cozens’ contract, even with Scott Laughton ($3 million) in the deal. The Flyers currently have just $2.95 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia, so general manager Daniel Brière would need to get creative to make room for Cozens. At this point, he should be doing everything he can to make this trade happen.
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