Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - Following Friday's 4-3 loss to the Washington Capitals on home ice, the Buffalo Sabres returned to KeyBank Center on Saturday before heading off to Philadelphia for a Sunday afternoon affair with the Flyers.
The Sabres did get some good on Saturday as rookie forward Dylan Cozens was back on the ice with his teammates. He practiced with the group for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury back on March 29.
While there were no line rushes throughout Saturday's session, Cozens did not seem to be limited in any sort of way. He looked engaged and comfortable during drills, and appears to be close to nearing a return to game action.
After practice, Cozens said he felt good and ready to return to the lineup on Sunday, but was not certain if he'd be given the green light to play.
When asked if Cozens had a chance to suit up on Sunday afternoon, interim head coach Don Granato was impressed with what he saw from the 20-year-old.
"This was sprung on us a couple of days ago on how fast he responded to day-to-day tests, as they elevated the tests on him. Today was the test to feel where he's at, in respect to playing," Granato said after Saturday's session at KeyBank Center. "I have not talked to the medical team, but going into practice, that was a definite possibility. He came out of practice looking great, so unless I hear differently, it looks like there's a probability of him being in the lineup."
Cozens' rookie season in the National Hockey League has been a bit of a rollercoaster, in terms of his playing time and game action. His play has actually been quite impressive this season, as he's flashed his skill set that made him the seventh overall pick of the Sabres in the 2019 NHL Draft.
However, Cozens has come in-and-out of the lineup, at times, due to, what former head coach Ralph Krueger called, "rest" days, while also getting varying totals in ice-time through games this season. In addition, Cozens has missed more time with a couple of different upper-body injuries.
In his 25 games played this season with the Sabres, Cozens has scored four goals and added a pair of assists for six points. Those aren't numbers that are Calder Trophy worthy, but watching him in game action, it's obvious that he belongs in the NHL.
Just before suffering a concussion back on March 11 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Cozens made the move from the right wing to center with Jack Eichel coming out of the lineup with his upper-body injury. When he returned for five games before his latest injury, Cozens got the chance to work in mostly at center with Granato at the helm.
However, in the game on March 29 when he suffered his second injury, he was frustrated that he was going to be forced to miss time again.
"As soon as I got hit, I knew something was up," Cozens said on Saturday. "Just coming back from my last injury, I was frustrated to know I was going to miss time again and miss games. It's obviously been a tough stretch for me lately with [COVID-19] and the other two injuries, but I'm just happy to be back on the ice again.
"I was very happy with where my games was at and where it was headed. Being able to play the middle, I was excited about that, and just excited to be back out playing again after my first injury. I was very disappointed to have to leave again, but now I'm back and hopefully can stay the rest of the year."
It will be a welcomed addition to the lineup for the Sabres with Cozens likely slotting back at center. Buffalo has had to resort to Sam Reinhart shifting back to center from the right wing, while Casey Mittelstadt, Riley Sheahan and Cody Eakin rounded out the top-four group.
Meanwhile, the Sabres did have another notable player back on the ice for practice on Saturday, as Taylor Hall was skating with the group. However, he was sporting a white jersey during the session, which is normally worn by members of the taxi squad.
When asked after practice about Hall's availability for Sunday, Granato made it clear that he will not play for the purposes of trade protection, with the NHL Trade Deadline coming up Monday at 3 p.m. ET.
Granato was also asked if any other players were to sit out of Sunday's game in Philadelphia with the same mindset of protecting assets for potential trades. However, the interim head coach said no other players would be a healthy scratch for those reasons.
Meanwhile, the Sabres did trade one of their top assets just before Saturday's practice, as defenseman Brandon Montour was moved to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a third round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Near the end of Saturday's practice, Montour was seen on the Buffalo bench giving his teammates some hugs and last goodbyes before heading to Florida to join the team.
Montour always seemed to be a well-liked individual on and off the ice among his teammates in Buffalo. Not only did he represent the team well on the ice, but he was always gracious enough to speak to the media and give his honest and thoughtful opinions, no matter after a win or a loss.
The Sabres acquired Montour just before the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks that saw former general manager Jason Botterill give up defensive prospect Brendan Guhle and a first round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft (Brayden Tracey). It was a steep price to pay for a transitional right-handed defenseman, but it was a moved that was well-liked with what the Sabres and other teams around the NHL were hoping to have in their defensive groups.
Under Phil Housley, it seemed like Montour adjusted well after the trade and was going to be a nice fit on the Buffalo blue line.
However, when the team hired Ralph Krueger and started to stray away from being that dynamic transitional team, Montour's game started to take a decline, along with a number of other defensemen on Sabres blue line.
After Krueger was relieved of his coaching duties nearly a month ago, it seemed like Montour's game started to recover under the tutelage of Granato. The 26-year-old was able to be more of the transitional defenseman that he was brought to Buffalo to be, and his offensive game picked up in the 12 games with Granato at the helm. In that time, he managed to score four goals and amass three assists for seven points.
However, with Montour's contract expiring at the end of the season and him set to become an unrestricted free agent, it only made sense for the Sabres to make a move and get some sort of assets in return.
Also not practicing on Saturday was Montour's usual defensive partner in Colin Miller. However, Granato dismissed any notion of him being sat out for trade protection purposes, and said that he will likely play Sunday in Philadelphia.
One final note from Saturday's practice is in regards to some positive news with defenseman Will Borgen.
Granato said following Saturday's session that while it's still unclear when Borgen will be back to practice with the group, he is inching closer to a return after fracturing his right forearm blocking a shot back on Feb. 20 against the New Jersey Devils.
"I'm going to estimate within a week he'll be [returning to practice]. That's good news, but it won't be on this [road] trip."
Faceoff on Sunday is set for 2 p.m. ET with Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray on the play-by-play call on WGR. The Paul William Beltz Pregame Show gets started at 1 p.m. ET, where you will hear more from Granato and Cozens.