Buffalo Sabres Top 25 Under 25: #10 Dylan Cozens

The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by members of the Die By The Blade community. It was a combination of six staff writers and over 500 readers that ranked players under the age of 25 by September 1st, 2019. Each participant used their own metric of current ability and production to rank each player.

One of the newest pieces of the Buffalo Sabres organization makes his debut on the annual “Top 25 Under 25” list.

Cozens, a very fresh 18 years old, joins the organization with very high hopes.

Last season alone, Cozens showed off why he came into the 2019 NHL Entry Level Draft with high hopes and a large amount of hype.

Unfortunately, Cozens season took an unexpected turn before it even truly began.

Back on June 29, during the Sabres Development Camp, Cozens went to side-step a check but instead was clipped in the hip.

Natural reaction pushed Cozens to put his hands out as he fell, which subsequently caused an injury to his hand.

Here’s a video of the hit pic.twitter.com/cDOknohz6F

— RJ (@RJPwack) June 29, 2019

Cozens underwent surgery on his left thumb and is expected to be out until early-to-late September.

From everything that the front office has said about Cozens becoming a part of the organization, it seemed as if he would get an honest chance to break camp with the team.

There is a possibility if Cozens is healthy and ready-to-go, he could get an opportunity to at least play nine NHL games before a decision is made on his status.

Worst case scenario, it is believed by many that Cozens is no more than one-to-two seasons away from locking up a role with the Buffalo Sabres.

Cozens is a talented offensive forward, as shown by his 138 points in 128 career WHL games. Only time will tell if his game can transition to the professional level but there is no doubt that his potential will lock many fans in.

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#24 Linus Weissbach

#23 Andrew Oglevie

#22 Jacob Bryson

#21 Casey Fitzgerald

#20 Marcus Davidsson

#19 Matej Pekar

#18 Ryan Johnson

#17 Mattias Samuelsson

#16 Oskari Laaksonen

#15 Arttu Ruotsalainen

#14 Will Borgen