Red Wings and Sabres Have Potential to Make a Big Trade

The Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings are two teams that are at a crossroads in their rebuild. Both teams are looking to compete for the playoffs. However, this season, neither team has really taken a step forward to make that happen. As a matter of fact, both teams took a step backward in that regard.

Detroit and Buffalo sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings at ninth and tenth, respectively. The Red Wings are ahead of the Sabres as Buffalo has one more regulation loss. Even though both teams are struggling this season, the Sabres and Red Wings are looking to make changes to their roster as they continue to scout each other.

The Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres Are Talking Trade

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported this past weekend on Hockey Night in Canada’s Saturday Headlines that the Red Wings and Sabres have been scouting each other, and there was a potential to make a trade before the NHL Holiday Trade Freeze before Christmas. 

“The Red Wings and the Sabers continue to scout each other,” Friedman said. “And I do think those two teams have looked at something there right before the break, we’ll see if that continues.” 

Adding fuel to the fire, former Buffalo Sabres Craig Rivet and Andrew Peters of After the Whistle Podcast tweeted this morning that Detroit wants Buffalo Sabres forward Dylan Cozens. However, they had no information on what players would be a part of the deal. 

The question is who could be involved from either side besides Cozens. We know the Sabres, according to the Fourth Period, have been contacted along with Cozens, Jack Quinn, and J.J. Peterka, and defencemen Bowen Byram and Owen Power. 

From Detroit’s perspective, a player like Marco Kasper could potentially be part of the deal. While this remains speculative, the Red Wings’ deep prospect pool means acquiring a player like Cozens would likely come at a steep price. Additionally, a roster player may need to be included to match the salaries and balance the trade financially.

Dylan Cozens, a Wanted Man

As NHLTradeTalk.com has reported, Cozens is a wanted man who could be useful to many teams around the NHL. The vultures are circling a wounded Sabres team. Cozens is a marked man who is a young, up-and-coming center who fits the age range for many teams. 

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Cozens, 23, recorded a 30-goal season two years ago. Not only that, but he is also a right-shot center who has five more seasons left at $7.1 million on an AAV. Cozens has the ability to be a consistent 30-goal scorer in the NHL. 

This season, in 37 games with the Sabres, he has 19 points (eight goals and 11 assists). But he has points in three of the past five games. After losing 13 straight games, the Sabres have turned it around, winning three straight. However, that has not calmed the trade waters. 

As reported by RG, the Nashville Predators are a team looking at Dylan Cozens. In addition to the Nashville Predators, teams like the Calgary Flames could use a player like Cozens, who fit their retool on the fly, along with Nashville and Calgary, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Chicago Blackhawks. 

As the calendar flips to 2025, there is a possibility the Sabres and Red Wings complete this pre-holiday trade.

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