"It feels great. It's something I wanted to do, I wanted to sign a long-term extension and to be here and to know that I'm going to be here for at least the next seven years, it's exciting," Cozens said Thursday. "It's exciting for me, it's exciting for my family to kind of stay put for that long. It's been a long time since I've been in one spot for that long. So I mean, I'm very excited and honored."
Cozens, a 22-year-old forward, is in the last season of his three-year, entry-level contract. He could have become a restricted free agent after this season. He is the third player 25 or younger to sign a seven-year contract with the Sabres in the past six months. Forward Tage Thompson, 25, signed for $50 million Aug. 30; defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, 22, signed for $30 million Oct. 12.
All three contracts begin next season.
"From the day I got drafted here, I wanted to be a part of the solution, a part of the change here and I wanted to help turn this thing around," Cozens said. "I think there's been a big switch in everything since the day I got here. It's just so positive and exciting for everyone, for the organization, for the players, for the fans. We all believe that what we've got going here is something special and I think it makes it really easy for everyone to buy into that and know that that's what lies ahead for us."
He has 43 points (17 goals, 26 assists) in 49 games, topping his NHL career highs of 13 goals, 25 assists in 79 games last season. He has 94 points (34 goals, 60 assists) in 169 games for Buffalo, which selected him with the No. 7 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
"When I look at him as a leader, and I mentioned this group over the summer, the players that we were drafting, that next generation of players coming into our organization, some that are here now and the youngest guys in our lineup now, they all look up to him," Sabres coach Don Granato said Thursday. "And he's an incredible person and player to look up to, and we're very happy that we have him and can put him in that leadership position with all those young guys coming in that watch us. He and Tage as well. His contract was very similar to Tage, and I think it should be that way. I think those two players are very comparable guys, for the impact they have on winning and potential."
The Sabres (26-20-4) are fourth in the Atlantic Division and one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. They are 19-9-4 since losing eight in a row in regulation from Nov. 4-19 and off until hosting the Calgary Flames on Saturday.
Buffalo hasn't made the playoffs since 2011, the longest active postseason drought in the NHL.
"When we look at these things, you really want to think about, one, does the player have the will and the work ethic and the drive to get better every day, they want to get better, and then do you see in their underlying numbers and their process and also what you visually see in practice or games then getting better?" Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said.
"So you look at all that. I believe that [Cozens] has a chance to just keep getting better and whatever the numbers are, they'll be, but I think he's just scratching the surface. I honestly do. I believe he's got an elite kind of talent base where now he's starting to get enough experience that he knows when and how to use the talent and he's got some pretty good players around him, which is exciting."
NHL.com independent correspondent Heather Engel contributed to this report
