But it was Cozens' maturity that seemed to strike teammates and coaches the most. He was lauded for his defensive commitment early on, often times an adjustment for players used to dominating in Canadian juniors. His two fights - both at Madison Square Garden - came in efforts to spark the team on otherwise off nights.
"He's one player that has such a competitive fire that if he can't help us in one way or help his linemate or teammate in one way, he's going to find another way," Sabres interim coach Don Granato said.
"… He does have a lot of leadership qualities. I don't even want to say potential. They're qualities. He has leadership components immediately that affect his team and teammates in a very positive matter."
Granato put more on Cozens' plate as the season progressed. The rookie began seeing regular ice time at center after being eased into the NHL on the wing. He eventually was given top-line matchups, responsibilities that coincided with his seven-assist run in April.
One of those games happened to be in Washington on the evening of Nicklas Backstrom's 1,000th game. Cozens tallied two assists for his first multi-point outing despite seeing the majority of his ice time against either Backstrom or Alex Ovechkin, who were playing on separate lines.
When it wasn't Backstrom, Cozens found himself playing against the likes of Sidney Crosby and Patrice Bergeron.
"Playing those guys the minutes is the most difference and how smart they are in making plays," Cozens said. "It almost seems like they never make mistakes. I definitely loved playing against those guys and matching up against the top line. Yeah, hopefully we'll see more of that in the future."
Granato said Cozens embraced the challenge.
"I wasn't overlooking the lessons and the experience and needed to be gained and could be gained," Granato said. "I would play Dylan against Sidney Crosby one game and he wouldn't get that ice time the next game or that responsibility. He was upset, he was not happy with it."
