OTTAWA — With their moves at the trade deadline, the Ottawa Senators showed they are all in for breaking their seven-year playoff drought.
Ottawa general manager Steve Staios made a big move ahead of Friday's trade deadline, trading forward Josh Norris and defenceman Jacob Bernard-Docker to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for centre Dylan Cozens, defenceman Dennis Gilbert and a 2026 second-round draft pick.
"We feel like we’re a stronger team today," Staios said. "You know, we’ve balanced out the roster."
Staios said he didn’t feel like he had to do something Friday. But with Tim Stutzle being a solid No. 1 centre, the development of Shane Pinto and the addition of Cozens, Staios feels like they "have the benefit of depth through the middle."
Ottawa, which entered Friday holding down the second playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, made a second trade late in the day, acquiring forward Fabian Zetterlund, defenceman Tristen Robins and a 2025 fourth-round pick from the San Jose Sharks for centre Zach Ostapchuk, winger Noah Gregor and a 2025 second round pick the other way.
The 25-year-old Zetterlund, New Jersey’s 63rd overall pick in 2017, has 17 goals and 19 assists through 64 games. At five-foot-11, 220-pounds he too will add some strength to the lineup.
“He’s a player that goes to the tough areas of the ice,” Staios said of Zetterlund. "He’s a strong kid. He’s hard on pucks. He can really shoot it as well."
While the Senators have improved in a number of areas this season, Staios and his hockey operations group had identified a specific need.
"One of the key factors on my board as we’re leading into the deadline was if we could help the five-on-five scoring," Staios said. "I think we have a very good team that’s continuing to learn how to win…you know we’ve talked about five-on-five scoring and those two players (Cozens and Zetterlund) in particular will, should help in that regard."
The Norris move sent shockwaves through the Senators locker room and was especially tough for captain Brady Tkachuk, who considers Norris one of his closest friends.
Tkachuk fought back tears talking about the trade and its impact.
“Losing not just the player, but the person,” said Tkachuk. “He was the No. 1 guy that I’d go to with anything, not just playing but anything outside of hockey that we were always there for one another.”
As difficult as it was to see a good friend move on Tkachuk understands this is part of the game and he’ll welcome Cozens and Gilbert and looks forward to having them help the team down the stretch.
Staios understands friendships and connections make trades like the Norris deal difficult, but said he wouldn’t be doing his job if he allowed himself to be led by emotion.
"I take time to think about how it's going to affect the group, but in my position, I can't let that get in the way of trying to make our team better," Staios said. "That’s really what it comes down to."
The 25-year-old Norris has 20 goals and 13 assists in 53 games this season but has struggled to remain healthy. He’s undergone three shoulder surgeries restricting him to just 236 career games over six years.
Senators’ goaltender Linus Ullmark had praise for Cozens, a former teammate from his own time in Buffalo, calling him "the workhorse from Whitehorse."
Cozens, the seventh-overall pick by the Sabres in 2019, has 11 goals and 20 assists in 61 games this season. The six-foot-three, 207-pound forward will provide some additional size to Ottawa’s lineup.
“I think he’s a very good two-way player,” said Ullmark. “There’s a lot of potential, obviously, that I’m hoping we can help him thrive in this environment and getting him up to snuff as soon as possible.”
The six-foot-two, 216-pound Gilbert has five assists in 25 games this season.
Heading into Friday’s games, the Senators (31-25-5) held the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 67 points through 61 games. The New York Rangers also sat at 67 points, while Detroit and Montreal trailed by just one point.
The Senators host the Rangers Saturday afternoon setting up an important matchup as both teams look to solidify their playoff chances heading down the stretch.
“Do I feel like we’re a harder team to play against now?” said Staios “Yeah, I do.”
Cozens and Gilbert, who were in Florida, are expected to be in Ottawa’s lineup Saturday. The team is also hoping to have Zetterlund, but getting him to Ottawa is a bit more challenging.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2025.
Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press
