Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres have made their first deal ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday at 3 p.m.
The Sabres announced the trade of center Dylan Cozens, defenseman Dennis Gilbert and a 2026 second-round pick to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for center Josh Norris and defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker.
Cozens was a former first-round pick (seventh overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Sabres. He played a total of 341 games for Buffalo over a five-year span, scoring 77 goals and recording 197 points.
The 24-year-old had signed a seven-year contract extension with the Sabres back in February 2023, and still has five more years remaining on his deal.
As for Gilbert, the Buffalo native joined his hometown team this past offseason as a free agent on a one-year deal. He appeared in 25 games this season, recording five assists.
Meanwhile, Norris joins the Sabres as a former first-round pick (17th overall) by the San Jose Sharks in the 2017 NHL Draft. Before appearing in any games for San Jose, though, he was dealt to the Senators as part of the deal that sent defenseman Erik Karlsson to the Sharks.
After making his NHL debut in Ottawa during the 2019-20 season, Norris has played in 236 games, scoring 90 goals and recording 156 points. His best season with the Senators came during the 2021-22 campaign, where he netted 35 goals and added 20 assists for 55 points in 66 games.
While Norris has proven to be capable of being an effective goal scorer down the middle of the ice at the NHL level, one concern of his is his inability to consistently remain healthy and in the lineup. His only fully healthy season came in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campign.
The 25-year-old still has five years remaining in an eight-year contract signed back in July of 2022.
As for Bernard-Docker, the former first-round pick (26th overall) of the Senators in the 2018 NHL Draft has appeared in 129 NHL games, recording 20 points (5+15) in that span.
The 24-year-old has been in-and-out of the Senators lineup for much of the season, putting up a goal and three assists for four points in 25 games.
The right-shot defenseman is in the final year of his current contract, where he will be a restricted free agent this summer.