The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by members of the Die By The Blade community. It was a combination of staff writers and over 200 readers that ranked Buffalo Sabres players under the age of 25 as of August 1, 2024. Each participant used their own metric of current ability and production to rank each player. Staff votes counted equally with reader votes.
Dylan Cozens
Drafted: 2019 – 7th overall
Position: Center
Born: February 9, 2001 – 23 years old
2023-24 Stats: Buffalo Sabres (NHL) 18-29-47 in 79 GP
2023 T25U25 Ranking: 2
2022 T25U25 Ranking: 5
Last season was not a good one for the “Workhorse from Whitehorse”, and he will be the first to admit it himself. After bagging 68 points the previous year many had expected that Cozens would make the step up to a point-per-game player or close.
Instead, the 23-year-old struggled out of the gate like much of his teammates as the Sabres faltered to begin the season and ultimately never recovered. Jack Quinn’s long-term injury played a big part as Cozens struggled to adjust to new linemates. He went twenty games in late fall scoring just one goal, and then another goal-shy stretch of twelve games between mid-March and into April did not help the pressure on him. No doubt the weight of signing a massive seven-year contract extension in February of last year also weighed heavily on those young shoulders.
Make no mistake though, Cozens is a future star and the Sabres have done well to lock him up for the longer term at an AAV of just $7.1 million, given his potential to become a top-line center on what could well be a perennial playoff contender for the next few years.
Now when we come to the topic of expectations for this season, this is where things start getting into the “put up or shut up” category for Cozens. With the completely revamped bottom-six that General Manager Kevyn Adams has now installed, the Sabres have indicated their playoff window is now open to handling the rigors of a postseason run.
It will certainly be a boost for Cozens to have Quinn beside him along with the tenacious Zach Benson joining them. Indeed both Cozens and Quinn netted against Red Bull Munich to start off Buffalo’s European pre-season with a bang in a 5-0 win.
The center did finish the season strong before carrying the momentum into the World Championships over the summer, going on to lead the tournament in goalscoring with 9 goals in 10 games for Team Canada.
What was not in doubt all season long, and if anything proved to be a bigger test of his leadership abilities last season, was Cozen’s ability to be vocal and his accountability. He did not shy away from taking on the spotlight especially when his offensive struggles dragged the team down. The forward is going to become one of those leaders that his teammates will plow through concrete walls for.
The arrival of Lindy Ruff should only help Cozens add more grit to his game, and I for one will not be surprised to see him ascend to the top line if not this season, then definitely next year.
2024 Buffalo Sabres Top 25 Under 25
#25: Adam Kleber
#24: Tyson Kozak
#23: Maxim Štrbák
#22: Prokhor Poltapov
#21: Aleksandr Kisakov
#20: Viktor Neuchev
#19: Vsevolod Komarov
#18: Nikita Novikov
#17: Anton Wahlberg
#16 Isak Rosén
#15 Peyton Krebs
#14: Noah Östlund
#13: Konsta Helenius
#12: Ryan Johnson
#11: Ryan McLeod
#10: Mattias Samuelsson
#9: Jiri Kulich
#8: Devon Levi
#7: Zach Benson
#6: Bowen Byram
#5: Owen Power
#4: Jack Quinn
#3: JJ Peterka