After the Buffalo Sabres win against the New York Islanders on Tuesday, the chance to see the Sabres end their playoff drought in person was too good an opportunity to pass up, and I was in attendance for the game in Ottawa. It was hopefully a once-in-a-lifetime hockey experience, as fans don't want to live through another decade-long playoff drought.
The Sabres started the game on the back foot but they were able to turn several offensive zone turnovers into scoring chances, ultimately ending the first on the front foot.
After opening the first with their lone goal of the game, scored by Mattias Samuelsson, the ice would once again tilt in Ottawa's favor, and the Senators would find a way to tie the game before the end of the second. Buffalo would find themselves consistently chasing the game for much of the third, with Ottawa scoring three goals to win the game 4-1.
Buffalo Sabres trade deadline deal last season loomed large in this game against the Senators
Remember last year's trade deadline deal that saw Norris and defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker shipped to Buffalo for Dylan Cozens, Dennis Gilbert, and a second-round pick in the upcoming draft; ironically enough, that will be taking place in Buffalo?
Most obviously, Cozens - who recorded almost 200 points during his tenure with the Sabres - recorded one of the Senators' four goals in Thursday's game. The win would see Ottawa overtake the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
But even as a member of the Sabres, it seemed more like Norris was helping his old team secure a big win in their own postseason chase. After recording two assists on Tuesday and ending a four-game point-scoring drought, Norris once again failed to record a point against Ottawa.
At the same time, he recorded a -2 plus/minus rating, the lowest such tally that he's recorded since January 3 against Columbus. And if needless penalties were a statistic tracked in the NHL, let's assume that Norris' abuse of officials penalty with one minute left in the game will fall under that as well.
But even when widening the picture, it hasn't been all that good for Norris since he left Ottawa.
Since joining the Senators, Cozens has recorded 69 points (31 goals and 38 assists) in just under 100 games played with the team. He also recorded a goal and an assist during the Senators' first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs last postseason; the goal came during Ottawa's 4-0 Game 5 win against Toronto.
It's also worth noting that Cozens is set to record career-bests this season in terms of power play goals and in the face-off win percentage department. At the same time, he could still post career-highs in four stat categories: goals, time on ice per game, shooting percentage, and total shots.
As for Norris, he's only recorded 29 points (10 goals and 17 assists) throughout his time with the Sabres.
But is it fair to blame him for his inability to remain a reliable option for the Sabres' offense?
Yes ... and no.
Norris has a long-standing history with the injury bug, one that's plagued him at some key moments. During the 2022-23 season, Norris was only able to play eight combined games due to a shoulder injury that kept him out from October until January and then to the end of the season as a result of the subsequent surgery.
And despite getting off to a hot start with Buffalo following his trade, scoring points in two of his first three games with the team, a torn oblique muscle forced him out of action for the final 18 games of the 2024-25 season.
He's also missed significant time this season due to upper-body and rib injuries. Norris' upper-body injury kept him out until December, while a rib injury sustained in mid-January kept him out until after the Olympic break.
That said, his performance this season hasn't exactly been on par with some of his better campaigns. He only has 27 points through 38 games played, though his plus/minus rating is the best it's ever been throughout his career. At the same time, Norris is recording career lows with regard to time on ice per game and face-off win percentage, while he's only scored two points in his last six games and just 10 combined since the Olympic break. It's also worth noting that two of Norris' 10 goals scored this season came after the Winter Olympics.
Even worse for Buffalo is that Cozens' annual cap hit is almost $1 million less than that of Norris, something that hits home significantly harder when considering the two teams' cap situations. The Sabres are projected to have just over $1 million in cap space, while the Senators have almost $1.5 million extra to work with.
A quick note on Jacob-Bernard Docker: Don't even get started.
Despite recording 14 points in his first full season played with the Senators, Jacob Bernard-Docker could not build on the foundation set during that 2023-24 season. As a result, the Senators included him in their trade for Cozens.
Even as a member of the Sabres, Bernard-Docker struggled to build on his 2023-24 season, recording just four points through 15 games played. During the offseason, Buffalo's refusal to tender him a qualifying offer led to him signing a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings.
As for Gilbert, who has spent much his career floating around the league, he's currently a depth option for the Senators as they look to get defensemen like Jake Sanderson back from injury as soon as possible.
How the Dylan Cozens-Josh Norris trade could look even worse
Buffalo's recent run of form, which has seen them go 2-2-2 over their last six games, has seen them lose control of the top spot in the Atlantic Division on several occasions. As of Friday afternoon, the Sabres are tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the Atlantic Division lead, but the Lightning are ahead based on games played.
Should the Sabres find a way to finish first in the Atlantic Division, the Senators could be Buffalo's opponent if they secure their second-straight postseason berth. That said, the Sabres are 2-1-0 against the Senators this year, with one of their two wins being an 8-4 domination at KeyBank Center.
Even then, Cozens has been a strong depth option for the Senators throughout his career in Ottawa, while ex-Sabres goaltender Linus Ullmark has arguably been one of the league's best netminders since returning from his leave of absence.
Had the Sabres beaten the Senators on Thursday night, the win would not only be able to be seen as a celebration but also as bittersweet. Ullmark and Cozens were both some of the few bright spots during the latter years of the Sabres' playoff drought, particularly during the 2020-21 campaign that saw Buffalo endure an 18-game losing streak.
To have clinched their playoff spot against their current team would've been notable in that Buffalo would have finally achieved a significant result against two of the league's many talents that have played in and left Buffalo.
But the fact Buffalo lost that game means that the ghosts of seasons past will have one more laugh.
Actually, two. They're also laughing at the fact that Ottawa pulled off a heist and that they spent half of Thursday's game reminding Buffalo of it. Yes, both Cozens and Norris have term on their contracts, but Thursday night made it clear that the former is winning this trade by a wide margin.