OTTAWA — Deadline day in Ottawa. Well, that was something.
From all accounts it was supposed to be a quiet deadline for general manager “Steady” Steve Staios; instead, he went out with a bang. Maybe it’s time to scrap the nickname.
“We had a plan going in, and we feel like we’re a stronger team today, and we balanced out the roster,” said Staios.
It started right before 11 a.m. on Friday, when both Josh Norris and Jacob Bernard-Docker were all smiles in their equipment at the Bell Sensplex for practice. Moments later, they were pulled off the ice because they had been traded.
The Ottawa Senators acquired Dylan Cozens, Dennis Gilbert and a 2026 second-round pick from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Norris and Bernard-Docker.
“We’re really excited about the upside,” said Staios about acquiring Cozens.
“And also within our environment there is potential growth as well.”
Staios wasn’t done. With 27 seconds left on the clock before the 3 p.m. deadline, he hit a buzzer-beater.
Ottawa acquired Fabian Zetterlund, Tristen Robins and a 2024 fourth-round pick from San Jose for Zack Ostapchuk, Noah Gregor and Ottawa’s 2025 second-round pick.
“He’s hard on pucks. He can really shoot it as well,” said Staios about Zetterlund. “He’s got a good motor on him, extremely fit, high-character, low-maintenance player. And at a really good age to come into our group. We could use another shooter up front.”
On the surface, Ottawa got substantially better and still held onto its draft capital.
The Senators needed to infuse scoring punch onto a roster that ranks 19th in the NHL in goals per game. It happened.
Look at the difference in the forward group, before and after the deadline. It’s noticeable.
Zetterlund-Cozens-Batherson
First of all, it’s a large bet by Staios on Cozens, who is younger, bigger, cheaper and better at creating at five-on-five than Norris. Staios said he had zeroed in on Cozens for a while.
However, it cannot be lost on us that the Senators were finally in a playoff spot at the deadline and Norris was a catalyst for their success with his excellent defensive play and goal-scoring ability — he has 20 markers so far this season.
In essence, it was a trade of two underperforming centres in Norris and Cozens who both have tons of potential but also own bloated contracts for their current production. Both are signed until 2030, with Norris carrying a $7.95 million annual average value while Cozens is at $7.1 million.
One distinction is that Cozens has missed seven games to injury in the last four years and Norris has missed 130 games, mostly due to multiple shoulder surgeries. A major reason for the lack of continuity was Norris’ health and that the Senators couldn’t count on him. The best ability is availability and there is a clear winner in that department.
There is no way to quantify vibes. But Ottawa has had it lately, and Norris was an extremely well-liked teammate. A seismic trade like that to change the fabric of the dressing room could disrupt what the Senators had going for them.
“Ultimately, it can’t affect my decision, but it was really hard on me,” said Staios. “I love Josh Norris.”
Just look to Ottawa’s leader, Brady Tkachuk, who was holding back tears when he spoke about losing his close friend Norris. The two grew up playing for the U.S. national development program together as teenagers.
“He (Norris) was the No. 1 guy that I would go to with anything,” said Tkachuk.
Tkachuk’s general manager thinks it’s a good thing that he was heartbroken.
“You see our captain”, said Staios. “And his teammates, they care about each other and can’t win consistently in this league and get to where we want to get to without that.”
How does that affect a room? Hard to say, but it sent a shockwave.
Staios’ wager is that Cozens can return to the 31-goal player he was in 2022-23.
Let’s not forget that during the Sabres’ abyss at the bottom of the standings, a myriad of players have left only to become immediately elite. The names include Ryan O’Reilly (2019 Conn Smythe winner), Jack Eichel (2023 Stanley Cup winner), Sam Reinhart (50-goal scorer and Cup winner) and Brandon Montour (2024 Cup winner) were all traded from the Sabres. Buffalo’s reclamation projects work faster and better than half a decade of light rail for the Senators. That should be a grain of optimism about any concerns surrounding Cozens’ meagre 11 goals and 31 points this season.
Yet, there is a ton of risk in acquiring Cozens, who has struggled for two straight seasons. Staios believes in the culture he’s built in Ottawa compared to Buffalo’s losing one. Still, there is no certainty of playoff hockey yet.
“I’m sure it won’t take long (for Cozens to acclimatize to Ottawa),” said Staios. “The culture we’re building here is exactly what you saw today. Our players care about each other, the manager cares about the players, and the coaches. You may have noticed it’s different here, and that’s something to be proud of.”
His decision might fall short but that is why he believes in Cozens, who has worse objective stats than Norris but has better analytics.
Let’s compare their stats in their last four seasons in the NHL.
Norris’ last four seasons:
Cozens’ last four seasons:
Cozens is more of a facilitator and Norris a finisher, but the biggest difference comes at five-on-five. There is a reason Linus Ullmark called his new/former teammate Cozens the “workhorse from Whitehorse.”
Norris has just 12 five-on-five points to Cozens’ 25, and Ottawa sits dead last in five-on-five scoring.
“One of the key factors on my board as we’re leading into the deadline, if we could help the five-on-five scoring,” said Staios about Cozens’ and Zetterlund’s five-on-five production.
And if there is concern about finding new chemistry in Ottawa for Cozens, he and Drake Batherson are close friends after playing together at the 2022 World Championships. Cozens sent Batherson a couple texts immediately after the trade.
“I clicked with him pretty much the first night I met him,” said Batherson. “And he said to me, ‘I think if we play on the same team, we’d be best friends.'”
Cozens and Batherson will need to ignite some of their chemistry on Saturday against the New York Rangers in the biggest game of the season.
Meanwhile, Gilbert gives insulation to Tyler Kleven and another viable left-shot defenceman. And let’s not underestimate Ottawa replenishing its draft capital by acquiring a second-round pick in this deal. Credit to Staios for squeezing that pick from Buffalo in a trade that, on its surface, is between two similar players.
If Staios had stopped there, it would be unclear if his team was better after the deadline. Except he acquired Zetterlund, a scoring winger with offensive punch and above-average speed who loves to hit. Cozens and Zetterlund would rank second and third in hits on the Senators. Guess who they are behind? Brady Tkachuk.
It’s clear Staios emphasizes physicality for his team.
“The size and strength, it does make a difference,” said Staios. “We look at all factors. But do I feel like we’re a harder team to play against now? Yeah, I do.”
Plus, Zetterlund is in the 80th percentile in terms of top skating speed, which Staios highlighted. Half of Ottawa’s forwards were below average, according to NHL Edge data. They got faster with Zetterlund.
Zetterlund is a breath of fresh air: he has 17 goals, which is third on the Senators, and he has 13 five-on-five goals, which addresses that area of offensive production. The 25-year-old is set to become a restricted free agent, so as Ottawa traded a second-rounder for a player with control in conjunction with acquiring a second-rounder from Buffalo, Staios stayed asset-neutral.
Nevertheless, there is a world where Norris stays healthy and consistently scores, and let’s hope for that for the player. Ostapchuk, Gregor and Bernard-Docker didn’t have long-term roles on this team.
When you do not have many picks or prospects, as the Senators did, and you trade out non-essential players and one good centre for two young top-six forwards with team control, you’ve done well. Tidy. Ottawa is a better team and its future is brighter. That’s a good deadline.
