The future of the Buffalo Sabres is, once again, going to come into focus for the next several years.
With the amount of turnover already taking place this offseason and the unlikely return of captain Jack Eichel, the Sabres will start to turn their attention to the young prospects of the organization. Names like Casey Mittelstadt, Tage Thompson, Anders Bjork, Rasmus Asplund, Rasmus Dahlin and Henri Jokiharju are among the names currently in Buffalo that will likely be looked at as key pieces to the long-term solution for the Sabres.
One of the other young players on the current Sabres roster is getting some respect as a potential breakout player for the upcoming 2021-22 NHL season.
ESPN NHL writer Greg Wyshynski released his list of top-10 breakout candidates on Tuesday (in no particular order) with Sabres center Dylan Cozens listed as one of the featured players.
"As the Sabres enter the P.E. (Post-Eichel) era, their depth chart will be re-adjusted at the center spot," Wyshynski wrote. "Depending on who comes back the other way for Eichel, it could be Casey Mittelstadt or Cozens getting the bump up to top-line duty."
Cozens is still just 20-years-old after being drafted as the seventh overall pick of the Sabres in the 2019 NHL Draft. In his first full season in Buffalo during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign, Cozens was able to produce 13 points (4+9) in 41 games played.
While Cozens' production stagnated in the final 8-10 games of last season, he was still able to put up a goal and seven assists for eight points in 21 games after Don Granato took over as interim head coach on March 17. Under Granato, Cozens was moved from the right wing to center and started getting more ice-time, averaging 15:03 per-game.
With Granato now sticking around as the full-time head coach in Buffalo, it is expected that a development approach will stick around towards Cozens, where he will continue to be put in key minutes on a nightly basis. The native of Whitehorse, Yukon was already playing some key minutes on the power play this past season, and it's likely his role will only grow more.
Although Cozens' defensive numbers in his rookie season were not so great, along with a couple of injuries that kept him out of the lineup for a number of games, Wyshynski believes a turnaround in his sophomore campaign is on the horizon.
"He's going to improve in Year 2, with more ice-time and an expanded role on a rebuilding team," Wyshynski writes. "Does that mean top-line minutes with someone like Victor Olofsson, one of the few established offensive playmakers on the team? We think he eventually earns the chance this season."
At the end of the 2020-21 season, Cozens was playing on a line at center with Jeff Skinner on his left wing and Arttu Ruotsalainen on his right side. Ruotsalainen actually spent the most time playing with Cozens among forwards still currently on the roster. If that trend continues into the 2021-22 season, it may bode well for Buffalo's offensive side of the game.
The Sabres will certainly be hoping Cozens is not the only player bound for a breakout campaign in the upcoming season.
Also featured on Wyshynski's list of top-10 breakout candidates includes former Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark, who just signed with the Boston Bruins this offseason as an unrestricted free agent.