“The Buffalo Sabres Bet Big on Youth: Dylan Cozens’ $49.7 Million Extension”
In his third NHL season, Dylan Cozens signed a seven-year contract extension with the Buffalo Sabers… [+] on February 7, 2021. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
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The Buffalo Sabers are brimming with promising talent and are pushing for their first playoff spot in 12 seasons. On Tuesday, they locked up another key member of their young core. The club announced that it has signed center Dylan Cozens on a seven-year contract extension, capped at $7.1 million per season.
Cozens, drafted seventh overall by the Sabers in 2019, turns 22 this Thursday and is in the midst of a breakout season. With 43 points in 49 games, he ranks fifth on offense in one of the highest-scoring teams in the NHL. His role has also increased this season, averaging a career best of 16:36 per game and becoming the team leader in faceoff wins. With seasoned veterans generally dominating the top of the faceoff leaderboard, Cozens’ 49.4% win rate is impressive for a player still on their entry-level contract.
With a tall body of 6ft 3in and 195 pounds, Cozens has a well-rounded skill set. But according to his coach Don Granato, it’s the mental side of his game that drives his success.
“I always say the same thing about him, it’s a competition,” Granato told Sabers’ website in December. “Just combine that with the love of the game he has, love of the game of hockey for good reason being in a team sport. He brings guys, he pulls people into the fight per se, which is a real indicator of his leadership and leadership abilities going forward.
In 169 NHL career games, Cozens is 30-64-94. That puts him third among players in his 2019 draft class behind Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils (216 GP, 79-96-175) and Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks (150 GP, 44-73-117). A native of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Cozens also has a gold medal as part of Team Canada from the 2020 World Junior Championships.
Cozens’ new deal marks the third significant contract extension awarded by Sabers GM Kevyn Adams in the past six months. Per CapFriendly, on Aug. 30, he jailed his team’s top scorer, now 25-year-old Tage Thompson, for a seven-year extension just a hair richer than Cozens’, totaling $50 million. Then, on Oct. 12, he signed 22-year-old stay-at-home defenseman Mattias Samuelsson to a seven-year, $30 million deal. As with Cozens, these contracts will also take effect for the upcoming 2023-24 season.
After many years of turning their wheels, the Sabers finally seem to be finding their way onto more stable ground. In June 2020, Adams took over as GM when Jason Botterill was fired. Then, when the Sabers finished bottom in the league in March 2021, Ralph Krueger was removed from the bench and replaced by his then-assistant Granato.
The Sabers showed signs of improvement in the 2021-22 season but ultimately finished 25 points from a playoff berth in the NHL’s Eastern Conference. This year they are in a close race for second wildcard spot, battling with the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders and Florida Panthers.
After operating well below the NHL’s $82.5 million salary cap this season at just over $64 million, the Sabers have now committed nearly $59 million for 17 players for 2023-24. With an expected salary cap of $83.5 million, which may still be subject to change, there’s no imminent cap looming. But Adams is likely planning a significant cap raise for the 2024-25 season, when he’ll owe his two blueline picks Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, plus another pair of new deals in Casey Mittelstadt and Peyton Krebs, as well as the rising star – Goalkeeper Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Buffalo Sabers Assistant Scouting Director Jason Nightingale, General Manager Kevyn Adams, Owner… [+] Terry Pegula and Kim Pegula (LR) prepare for the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft on October 6, 2020 at the team offices at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)
NHLI via Getty Images
Tuesday’s announcement of Cozens’ contract extension comes on the same day that tennis star Jessica Pegula published an article on The Players’ Tribune about her mother, Sabers co-owner and president Kim Pegula. In the article, Jessica raised concerns about her mother’s health and confirmed that Kim, 53, suffered cardiac arrest last June and that while she continues to improve every day in her recovery, she has a long and difficult road ahead of her.
The Sabers are currently on their bye week after the All-Star hiatus. Their next game is Saturday at the KeyBank Center against the Calgary Flames.
Source: www.forbes.com
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