"Don't have an awful lot of bargaining chips" - NHL Insider questions Maple Leafs' pursuit of Dylan Cozens

NHL commentator Joe Bowen weighed in on the rumors surrounding Buffalo Sabres center Dylan Cozens. Speaking on TSN’s "First Up with Korolnek & Colaiacovo," Bowen, who is known as “The Voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs," claimed that the rumors were unfounded. He also explained why he thought the Leafs wouldn't be able to sign Cozens.

"You want a guy that can produce some offense on the third line, but you want a guy who is defensively responsible, maybe bring a little physicality, and that's the person that you're looking at, and that might be exactly what the individual that we're talking about, but at what price?” Bowen said.

The Leafs really don't have an awful lot of bargaining chips. They traded first round picks. Are you looking at Minten or others within the junior ranks? That will be interesting to see how much the Leafs have to come up with in order to secure what they're looking for.”

Bowen added that the Leafs are trying to shore up their defense, which is also why they’re being linked with Cozens.

“The other option is they're looking probably for some depth on defense as well," he said. "If Jani Hakanpää is not going to be able to play in the Four Nations Cup, you certainly don't think that he's going to be available much down the stretch for the Maple Leafs either. Cozens' size and physicality would be exactly what the doctor ordered without having to dial up anything. So that's something that Treliving is looking at."

According to multiple sources, apart from Toronto, the Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings are in the running to sign Cozens ahead of the Mar. 7 trade deadline.

Cozens is in the second year of a seven-year, $49.7-million contract with a cap hit of $7.1 million annually. However, his no-trade protection clause doesn’t kick in till the 2027-28 season.

Pierre LeBrun claims Vancouver Canucks looking to sign Dylan Cozens

Hockey analyst Pierre LeBrun on TSN’s Insider Trading claimed that the Canucks were interested in Cozens.

“And to Cozens, by the way, we just talked about him in three consecutive notes here, he is among the type of players that Vancouver is interested in. We know they've had discussions with Buffalo," LeBrun said.

He added that securing a center like Cozens would help the Canucks immensely in their quest for a playoff spot this season.