One of the Ottawa Senators' biggest rivals is at it again with history against them. The Buffalo Sabres are at a dark point in their franchise. The franchise will miss the playoffs yet again for the 14th consecutive year, which is currently the longest drought in the NHL.
At the 2019 NHL Draft, the Sabres selected Dylan Cozens with the seventh overall pick. The Sabres had high hopes for Cozens that he would be a core piece to help the Sabres get back to the playoffs. In the 2022-23 season, Cozens showed promise with recording a 68-point season.
Unfortunately, Cozens wasn't able to put the Sabres over the hump. Now, he's sticking it to his former team just like so many other Sabres have done.
Cozens continues to prove Sabres wrong after being traded over to Ottawa
On March 7, the Senators struck a deal with the Sabres to acquire Cozens in a trade. While Cozens had some bright moments in his career, this season in Buffalo was a rough one. Cozens had recorded 31 points in 61 games with the Sabres at the time of the trade.
Since being traded, Cozens has recorded 10 points in 17 games with the Senators. It took Cozens 23 games this season to record his 10th point in Buffalo. It would take 15 games for Cozens to record his 10th point in Ottawa.
Seeing players have success after leaving Buffalo since 2011, which was the last year the Sabres made the playoffs, has become almost a normal thing to see for Buffalo fans. Ryan O'Reilly won a Stanley Cup in 2019 with the St. Louis Blues and won the Selke Trophy in the same year, and made two consecutive All-Star Games in his first two seasons after leaving the Sabres in 2018.
After being traded by the Sabres in 2021, Jack Eichel has become one of the NHL's best players and helped the Vegas Golden Knights win the 2023 Stanley Cup. Cozens' current Senators teammate Linus Ullmark won the 2023 Vezina Trophy after leaving the Sabres after 2021.
Sam Reinhart, Kyle Okposo and Brandon Montour were all former Sabres who all won the 2024 Stanley Cup together with the Florida Panthers. Reinhart's career has sky rocketed since leaving Buffalo after 2021.
Now, Cozens can have his name added to the list of former Sabres who have success after leaving Buffalo. Cozens' contribution to the Seantors since being acquired at the trade deadline has helped the Senators make the playoffs for the first time since 2017. While the Senators have ended their playoff drought, the wait for the Sabres to get back to the playoffs will continue.
Since joining Ottawa, Cozens has excelled with playing on the same line with Drake Batherson and David Perron. The three have become one of Ottawa's most important lines on the team with having terrific chemistry playing together.
Right place, right time 👊#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/OWrmj3DvtL
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) March 23, 2025
Another good thing about Cozens is along with the strong impact he's had since being traded, Cozens will be under contract until 2030. The Senators and their fans can be able to get used to seeing Cozens play well for years to come.