The Buffalo Sabres had a successful banner raising night for former goaltender Ryan Miller, and the night was capped off with an electric goal by Dylan Cozens. Throughout the season, the 21-year-old forward has been a consistent offensive force, and a dynamic two-way player. His growth from last season to this one has been both seamless and successful, but the truth is that he could be doing even better.
He currently sits at a total of 41 points in 44 games, which is good for fifth on the team behind the top line and Rasmus Dahlin. Cozens has been the bulk of the secondary scoring throughout the course of the year, and he deserves to be given wingers that contribute more offensively. He is an absolute machine when it comes to generating offense, and he does not look ready to slow down any time soon.
Cozens Plays In All Situations
Head coach Don Granato has done a fair job at choosing which players end up on both special teams units, but the way Cozens is utilized is brilliant. He hounds puck carriers and creates scoring chances shorthanded on a nightly basis, and then if the chance does not turn out in his favor, he hustles right back to his own end to contribute there. He is easily the Sabres’ most versatile forward, and he can do almost everything.
Where he has been particularly good recently is in the faceoff circle, which has been a struggling point for the Sabres all year. He leads the team in faceoff percentage with 49.3 percent, faceoff wins with 320, and faceoffs taken at 649. The next highest faceoff win total belongs to Tage Thompson at 226 wins, so despite being used as a second-line forward at even strength, Cozens is the “go-to” center when the team needs to win a draw. This comes into play on both special teams units he plays on, and is a key reason the Sabres’ top power-play unit was scoring so well earlier this season.
Cozens’ New Wingers Will Boost Total Offense
Right now, he has been centering the “kid line,” featuring rookies Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka. While he has helped them to improve their game over the course of the season, their production has not been enough to match his. Cozens plays with a high-capacity motor and he never stops playing hard, so he needs players that will match that energy on a nightly basis. It would take some line shuffling, but Cozens centering the second line should feature Tyson Jost,…
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