'A quiet belief' | Cozens, Mittelstadt confident in Sabres' direction

Dylan Cozens received a text from Casey Mittelstadt in July, after the Tampa Bay Lightning captured its second straight Stanley Cup championship.
The message: We need one of those.
"We all have that vision, and we all believe that it can come true," Cozens said Friday. "We're just going to do what we can every day to get better and better and hopefully reach that point one day."

Zemgus Girgensons and Kyle Okposo are two of the elder statesmen on a new-look Sabres roster. Both players met with the media on Thursday and spoke of a refreshing atmosphere, driven by young players who are unburdened by the past and hungry for the future.
What became evident Friday was just how much confidence players like Cozens and Mittelstadt took from the final month of last season, when coach Don Granato leaned on his young core to play high-leverage roles on a nightly basis. In the East Division, that meant regular doses of players like Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, and Patrice Bergeron.
The intention was for Buffalo's young players to realize that they belonged on the ice with those names, for it to feel less like a "pinch me" moment and more like a daily habit. Cozens was surrounded by many of those same stars players as the Sabres' representative at the NHL Player Media Tour in Chicago last weekend, where he went into interviews with a message for people back in Buffalo.
"I wanted the fans to know that we're really excited about what we have here and what we're building," Cozens said. "I think we all see it."

Mittelstadt echoed that sentiment on Friday. The eighth overall pick in 2017 refocused his off-ice habits prior to last season and saw it pay off when he tallied nine goals and 17 points during the final 22 games. Teammates remarked how he had begun to show leadership qualities.
Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said after the season that the team would build around its young core, pointing to Mittelstadt and Cozens specifically as players who were excited about the future.
"It's a big opportunity for us," Mittelstadt said. "I think we know that. More than anything, just come to the rink and make sure everyone's welcome and just let everyone go play their game and try to have some fun at the same time.
"I think there's a huge quiet belief in our group. We know what people say about us, but we also know what we have in the room."

Buffalo's young core was rounded out Friday with the addition of Rasmus Dahlin, who practiced for the first time after signing a three-year contract extension on Wednesday. Dahlin said he expects to be a leader in his fourth season, a player others can look to every second he's at the rink.
"The main thing is we can, for sure, change the culture here," Dahlin said. "That's what I'm most excited for."
Mittelstadt admitted it was painful at times to watch the playoffs after last season. Seeing higher seeds upset lower seeds was a reminder of what was possible if the Sabres could just get in. Yet Mittelstadt said he watched every single night, up until he texted Cozens after the Cup was rewarded.
"Obviously, that's a goal of ours," Mittelstadt said. "But it all starts now. It all starts with camp and coming together as a team and finding the right things to do, the way we're gonna play and what we're gonna be like as a team.
"So, obviously that's a goal of ours and we want to win one. But we've got to do it the right way, build it the right way and do it all together."

Friday's practice sessions

Jack Quinn skated with the second practice group after missing the two sessions on Thursday. Okposo did not practice due to a non-COVID illness.
The Sabres have a day off on Saturday before returning for an intrasquad scrimmage at 6 p.m. on Sunday. The scrimmage will be streamed on Sabres.com.