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Sabres Sign Cozens To Seven-Year Contract Extension

Originally posted on Full Press Hockey
By Michael Augello | Last updated 2/7/23

The Buffalo Sabres have been extremely proactive in getting their young core players signed to contract extensions and the club continued that practice on Tuesday with the signing of forward Dylan Cozens to a seven-year, $49.7 million deal.

The 22-year-old forward has career-highs in goals (17), assists (26), and points (43) through 49 games this season, his third year with the Sabres after being selected seventh overall in the 2019 Draft, and marks the third long-term deal of a core group by GM Kevyn Adams that has Buffalo within range of a playoff berth for the first time in a dozen years.

Adams locked up center Tage Thompson on a seven-year, $50 million deal in August after a breakout 38-goal campaign in 2022 and followed that up with another seven-year extension of defenseman Mattias Samuelsson ($4.285 million AAV) just prior to the start of the regular season.

DYLAN COZENS IS STAYING IN BUFFALO. pic.twitter.com/JGFcrTMtDG

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) February 7, 2023

These deals are considered good gambles by Buffalo, as they are giving youngsters coming off their entry-level contracts or just entering the prime of their careers long-term security in exchange for slightly less than they would get in free agency down the line, and were made possible in part by the clearing out Jack Eichel’s $10 million cap hit when the former team captain was dealt to Vegas in November 2021.

“(Dylan) competes for the right reason being in a team sport.” Sabres head coach Don Granato said on the club’s Twitter account. “He brings guys in with him, he drags people into the light, per se, which is a real indicator of his leadership and leadership ability going forward.”

The club has top-line wingers Jeff Skinner (signed through 2026-27) and Alex Tuch (signed through 2025-26) locked up and based on Adams modus operandi, it is likely that he will attempt to get former top overall picks Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power signed to similar deals when they are eligible for extensions this summer.

Dahlin is in the second year of a three-year, $18 million bridge deal and is second in the NHL behind San Jose’s Erik Karlsson in defensive scoring, which likely means his new deal could put him in the same stratosphere as Boston’s Charlie McAvoy ($9.5 million), and Norris Trophy winners Adam Fox ($9.5 million), and Cale Makar ($9 million). The 20-year-old Power has 19 points (3 goals, 16 assists) in his rookie campaign and may choose the same path as Dahlin, opting for a short-term deal unless Buffalo is willing to be as proactive with him as they were with Thompson, Samuelsson, and Cozens.

This article first appeared on Full Press Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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