Ahead of the NHL’s trade deadline on Friday afternoon, reports indicate that the Buffalo Sabres have traded forward Dylan Cozens and a draft pick to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for forward Josh Norris and defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker.
NHL insider Kevin Weekes first reported that the two teams were working on a potential trade on Friday morning, with TSN’s Pierre LeBrun confirming that Cozens was believed to be a part of the deal.
As of 11:18 a.m., the team has not officially announced any trade.
UPDATE: The trade has been officially announced and also includes defenseman Dennis Gilbert and a 2nd-round draft pick in 2026, both going to the Senators.
Norris, 25, was drafted by the San Jose Sharks 19th overall in 2017. He spent two seasons post-draft at the University of Michigan before joining the Senators organization for the 2019-20 season. After playing most of that season with Belleville in the AHL, he’s appeared in 236 career NHL games and has 156 points in that time.
Bernard-Docker, 24, is a right-handed defenseman who was drafted 26th overall in 2018 by Ottawa. He played three seasons at the University of North Dakota before making the jump to pro hockey. To date, he’s skated in 129 NHL games and has 20 points and 44 penalty minutes in that time.
Cozens, 24, was drafted by the Sabres with the seventh-overall pick in 2019. He leaves Buffalo having played 341 NHL games with the team, accruing 77 goals and 120 assists for 197 points in that stretch. He has 31 point (11-20) in 61 games this season.