Alleged Detroit Red Wings trade target with divisional foe Sabres identified

Following their first in-season coaching change since the mid-1980s, the Detroit Red Wings have rattled off 5 consecutive victories under new head coach Todd McLellan.

At Christmas, the Red Wings were tied with the divisional foe Buffalo Sabres for the last spot in the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division, but their fortunes have now changed for the better.

Speaking of the Sabres, the Red Wings have been rumoured to be looking into swinging a trade with them for weeks now.

Reports surfaced that the Sabres' head of scouting has been in attendance at recent home games, and that Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman could be eying one of Buffalo's top young players.

According to Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman, the player that the Red Wings have alleged interest in is forward Dylan Cozens.

Cozens is in his 5th NHL season; he scored 31 goals in 2022-23 before dropping to 18 goals last year.

So far this year, he has 8 goals with 12 assists in 41 games played. He's also under contract through 2030 with an AAV (average annual value) of $7.1 million.

Naturally, the Red Wings would have to shed some salary of their own in order to accommodate fitting Cozens under their salary cap situation; a trade for Cozens would likely require sending a roster player and potential draft capital to Buffalo in return.