Ottawa Senators Trade Analysis: Norris Out, Cozens In

How about that for a big move? Steve Staios made a massive trade, bringing in Dylan Cozens, Dennis Gilbert, 2026 2nd round pick in exchange for Josh Norris, and Jacob Bernard-Docker. It was just this morning that I wrote about what the Ottawa Senators should do with Josh Norris. While I thought exploring a trade would make sense, I figured that would be an off-season move, due to the large salary involved. Staios decided to make it happen today. Let’s dive into the details on the massive trade!

READ MORE: Should the Ottawa Senators Trade for a Defensemen?

By the Numbers

Let’s focus on the two main pieces for now. Here are the numbers that matter most:

• Dylan Cozens: 24 years old, $7.1 million cap hit through the 2029-30 season, 11 goals, 31 points in 61 games
• Josh Norris: 25 years old, $7.95 million cap hit through the 2029-30 season, 20 goals, 33 points in 53 games

Norris’ career has been derailed by injuries over the last few seasons, while Cozens’ last couple of years have seen him remain healthy, but regress offensively. Here are their numbers at their best:

• Cozens (2022-23): 81 games, 31 goals, 68 points
• Norris (2021-22): 66 games, 35 goals, 55 points

Those seasons are the main reasons they both received their massive contracts. Neither one has lived up to them yet.

More Detail On Cozens

We have to recognize something very important with Cozens- he has a great nickname: The Workhorse from Whitehorse. In all seriousness, here are some of the facts to take note of: Cozens is a right shot centre listed at 6’3″, 194 lbs. He leads Sabres forwards in hits with 148 in 61 games this season. That seems to be a new level of physicality, though, as last season he finished with 107 in 79 games, and the year before that just 55 in 81 games.

He has played in all situations over the last few seasons, although his penalty killing time has been reduced to just under 40 seconds per game this season. He has some toughness to his game and has been willing to fight in the past. A big part of his lesser numbers comes from his lowered shooting percentage. In his best year he was a 15% shooter. Last year he was at just 9% and this season he’s at 8%. He’s at his best when working the dirty areas and using his size to his advantage.

Final Thoughts

Looking at the other pieces, it’s nice that the Senators picked up a 2nd round pick, given the fact that their prospect pool is rather weak. Jacob Bernard-Docker needed a good season to earn his next contract with the Senators, but it didn’t happen. Maybe a change of scenery will serve him well. As for Gilbert, he’s a depth d-man coming back who plays a tough game. He likely won’t crack the Senators top six on defense as of now.

As mentioned above, I was in favour of exploring a Norris trade. The problem was going to be making it work considering his injury history and big contract. That’s why a guy like Cozens makes sense, considering his lesser play with Buffalo over the last two seasons. I do think Norris has the advantage as a pure scorer. He was becoming a solid defensive player as well. In the end, Cozens has a better track record of health, and comes a little cheaper. For this trade to work out for the Ottawa Senators, Cozens needs to get back to the production from his best season in 2022-23. Now let’s hope that Brady Tkachuk isn’t too upset about his good friend moving on.