The Buffalo Sabres are switching things up at the top of their forward core to give a struggling player an offensive jolt. The player in question is 23-year-old center Dylan Cozens who’s only mustered three assists in 10 games to start the 2024-25 campaign.
Head coach Lindy Ruff is moving Cozens to the right wing for the next few contests next to Jordan Greenway and Ryan McLeod which also suggests Cozens is moving to the team’s third line. Bill Hoppe from Buffalo Hockey Beat got a quote from Ruff regarding the move saying, “Sometimes a player just gets so consumed with lack of production and then maybe gets locked into as your centerman trying to play better defensively. Trying to free him up to get him a few more opportunities. You get him with a left-handed centermen that can him the puck and possibly use his speed“.
Many underlying statistics indicate that Cozens’s lack of production is merely a consequence of bad luck. His possession numbers are depressed especially when factoring in he starts a shift in the offensive zone 59.1% of the time but his E +/- of 0.0 according to Hockey Reference shows that he’s one of the better two-way forwards on the roster.
Cozens is leading the team in shots with 32 and has maintained his physicality with 19 hits on the year. The Sabres and Ruff hope that with less pressure in the faceoff dot and with positioning the offense will start to come for Cozens before it’s too late.
Other Atlantic notes:
- In a positive injury update for the Ottawa Senators, TSN’s Bruce Garrioch reports defenseman Artem Zub has resumed skating for the first time since suffering a concussion on October 14th. Garrioch notes that Zub won’t be a full participant with the team until he’s fully medically cleared but it’s a positive step in the right direction. The right side of Ottawa’s defensive core has looked weak without Zub in the top four as the team sits 24th in the league in GA/G at 3.44.
- Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports that Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Motte is close to returning. Motte has missed Detroit’s last six games with an upper-body injury suffered during the team’s loss to the New York Rangers on October 17th. When healthy, he’s been largely unnoticeable in Detroit’s forward core with zero points through four games averaging just over 11 minutes of ice time per contest.
Regarding the Redwings: With all due respect, Tyler Motte is being reported excitedly as nearing his return to the Wing’s mediocre offense. Feeling as if it is some potent powerhouse returning from injury to help them offensively.
Looking at the stats, he has contributed a total of 28 points in 144 NHL games played since the 2021-22 season.
Games played with the Rangers (9), Senators (38), Rangers again (24), Lightning (69), and Wings (4).
Not sure that this is going to help the pitiful offensive play of the Wings. Am I missing something?
Buffalo lost to the Wings last night and a win is a win, will take it.
However, the game play of the DRW was very close to embarrassing. How many minutes were spent absolutely locked up in the D zone two steps behind the Buffalo offense, and constantly chasing the puck? Most of those minutes looked like a penalty kill by a poor PK team except they were 5 on 5. Desperation dump outs have replaced organized D zone exits. More turnovers than a bakery. Something has gone wrong folks. Hope the coaches and the team can get if fixed quick!