The Chicago Blackhawks will play the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night. The Hawks enter the post-Christmas portion of their schedule with the fewest standings points in the NHL and the worst points percentage.
That said, they have not been the worst team in the league lately. That would be the Buffalo Sabres, which just ended a 10-game losing streak and is 1-7-2 in its last 10. Buffalo now only has two more points than the Hawks, and their vibes are way down.
Chicago is supposed to be improved over last year but nobody realistically thought about the playoffs. In Buffalo, however, they were thinking playoffs.
They have the longest drought in the league and they felt like they had what they needed to end it. That hasn’t been the case.
If the Sabres will overreact to this bad stretch and start trading good players away, the Hawks might be able to take advantage.
Of course, everyone would like stars like Rasmus Dahlin or Tage Thompson but Buffalo won’t be moving on from them anytime soon.
What about a guy like Dylan Cozens? He is a good player with a track record of success in the NHL, but it hasn’t led to wins for them.
Buffalo selected Cozens 7th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft. It would be smart for the Blackhawks to consider a player like him if he is available for trade.
What would Chicago have to give up? Well, we know what is off-limits in a deal like this.
There are a few players on the roster (Connor Bedard, Alex Vlasic, etc) that won’t be traded. They also won’t trade their own first-round pick in 2025 as it is likely to be in the top five.
They might be willing to part with a different good piece for a center like that though. One of these three trade packages may get a deal like that done:
To Sabres – 2025 First Round Pick (Toronto), 2025 7th Round Pick (Chicago)
To Blackhawks – Dylan Cozens
The Blackhawks certainly aren’t giving up their own first-round pick but they would consider moving the other one they have from the Toronto Maple Leafs. It’s a valuable asset but not as valuable as a top-ten selection.
The Leafs are one of the best teams in the NHL so the Hawks can bank on that pick being anywhere from 20 to 32. Sending that with a seventh-round pick may be something that Buffalo is interested in to shake things up. With that first, the Sabres would have a chance to add a different high-end prospect to the organization.
To Sabres – 2025 Second Round Pick (Dallas), 2025 Second Round Pick (Chicago), Isaak Phillips
To Blackhawks – Dylan Cozens
The Sabres might see having two second-round picks as more valuable than one late first-round pick. The Dallas pick will probably be later in the second round but the Chicago one could very well be pick 33 so it’s like having another first.
The difference between that Dallas pick and the aforementioned Toronto pick could be the difference of about 10 spots.
The Blackhawks like Isaak Phillips but their prospect farm is loaded with great young defensemen and that doesn’t even include the guys at the NHL level. The Sabres may be intrigued by a talent like Philips if he’s sent with two second-round picks.
To Sabres – Gavin Hayes, Colton Dach, 2025 Fourth Round Pick (New York Rangers)
To Blackhawks: Dylan Cozens
Maybe the Sabres are more interested in actual players than draft picks. Gavin Hayes and Colton Dach may be impact players at the NHL level one day.
In Dach’s case, he’s already been very good at the AHL level and a trip to the NHL could be coming shortly. Being a part of a package for Cozens would be smart for Chicago though as a great second (or even third) line center is very much needed.
The Hawks can sweeten this deal by adding in the New York Rangers fourth-round pick that they have from the Patrick Kane trade. It’s a decent haul for Cozens who needs to get out of Buffalo.
All in all, it would be a risky trade for both sides. Cozens has 7 goals and 10 assists for 17 points in 35 games played this year. He expects more out of himself and he’s proven to be better in the past.
In 2022-23, Cozens had 31 goals and 37 assists for 68 points in 81 games played. It’s not a surprise that Buffalo came close to the playoffs that year.
Cozens needs to be traded out of that bad situation so that he can regain the form that made him a high draft pick/30+ goal scorer in the NHL. If he returned to that level (or better) with a different team, Buffalo would have seller’s remorse but there isn’t much of a choice at this point. They need to do something and the Blackhawks could pounce.
Things aren’t perfect for the Blackhawks right now either but they have a much brighter future and Cozens makes a ton of sense for them.
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