The Calgary Flames swung a <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/flames-swing-trade-with-flyers-nab-two-potential-oilers-targets">four-player, two-pick trade</a> with the Philadelphia Flyers last week and it appears general manager Craig Conroy is still looking for more.

Pierre LeBrun said on <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/dylan-cozens-morgan-frost-calgary-flames-flyers">TSN&#8217;s Insider Trading</a> that the Flames have shown interest in Dylan Cozens of the Buffalo Sabres. LeBrun added that Calgary won&#8217;t trade assets for rentals but they&#8217;re looking for players who they can continue to build around.
<blockquote>“Despite being legitimately in a playoff race — Calgary absolutely has a chance to make the playoffs — they’re not going to let their short-term goals affect the longer-term vision, which is this: Calgary won’t go out and spend big assets on rental players. If they do something else that’s at least impactful, it’s once again going to be a hockey trade like we saw last week.
So, with that in mind, there’s a name that, my understanding is, the Calgary Flames remain interested in despite the acquisition last week of Frost and Farabee, and that’s Dylan Cozens in Buffalo.
Now, the Flames have been enamoured with him all year long. I don’t know if they have the pieces to make a deal work with the Buffalo Sabres for a couple of reasons: One, I don’t think Kevyn Adams in Buffalo is actually shopping Dylan Cozens. He’s taking calls, because Buffalo’s in last place and he has to take calls, but if he moves Dylan Cozens, who’s signed to a long-term deal, I think it’s going to have to be apples for apples and not just a futures deal.&#8221;</blockquote>
Frank Seravalli also reported on <a href="https://x.com/DailyFaceoff/status/1887275013616902475">Daily Faceoff Live</a> that the Flames are looking to add even after acquiring forwards Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost from the Flyers. Seravalli speculated that Casey Mittelstadt of the Colorado Avalanche could be a fit for what Calgary needs.
<blockquote>&#8220;I think he&#8217;s an ideal (second-line centre)&#8230; I really wonder about Calgary. They&#8217;re a team obviously in search of a centre, even still after adding Morgan Frost. Casey Mittelstadt is on the higher end of their age scheme, but he does fit what they&#8217;re trying to build.
Look, it hasn&#8217;t worked in Denver. I think they&#8217;ve had some questions about his consistency and they&#8217;re ready to move on. Could Calgary be one of those teams that steps forward to grab him?&#8221;</blockquote>
The <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/calgary-flames/line-combinations">Flames</a> have Nazem Kadri as their top-line centre, captain Mikael Backlund on the second line, and the newly acquired Frost as their third pivot. For Calgary to take a step from a middling team to a playoff threat, the team would ideally add a top-six centre who could push Backlund and Frost into bottom-six roles. That centre being a right shot would also be ideal, as Kadri, Backlund, and Frost are all left-handed.
Cozens was selected by the Sabres with the seventh overall pick in the 2019 draft. He broke out with 31 goals and 68 points for Buffalo in 2022-23 and signed a seven-year, $49.7 million extension in February of that season.
The Workhorse from Whitehorse has struggled to live up to that contract. He declined to 18 goals and 47 points in 2023-24 and only has 10 goals and 26 points through 53 games in 2024-25. Cozens has also been on the ice for the second-most goals against at even strength of any <a href="https://www.naturalstattrick.com/playerteams.php?fromseason=20242025&amp;thruseason=20242025&amp;stype=2&amp;sit=5v5&amp;score=all&amp;stdoi=oi&amp;rate=n&amp;team=BUF&amp;pos=F&amp;loc=B&amp;toi=0&amp;gpfilt=none&amp;fd=&amp;td=&amp;tgp=410&amp;lines=single&amp;draftteam=ALL">forward on the Sabres</a> this season.
Mittelstadt is another <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-game-notes-49-0-edmonton-continues-homestand-against-basement-dwelling-sabres">top draft pick</a> from the Sabres who didn&#8217;t work out in Buffalo. He was selected eighth overall in the 2017 draft and broke out with 15 goals and 59 points in 2022-23. The following season, he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche for defenceman Bowen Byram.
The Avs liked what they saw from Mittelstadt down the stretch that season, so they inked him to a three-year, $17.25 million contract as a restricted free agent in the summer. Through 55 games in 2024-25, the 26-year-old has nine goals and 32 points.
It&#8217;s been a wild season for Colorado, as the team swung multiple big trades well before the March 7 trade deadline. They overhauled their goaltending with the additions of Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood, and then they <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/forget-the-blackhawks-the-colorado-avalanche-are-the-big-losers-in-the-mikko-rantanen-trade">shockingly</a> traded <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/theres-some-belief-they-can-make-that-happen-oilers-signing-mikko-rantanen-isnt-that-far-fetched-of-an-idea">Mikko Rantanen</a> to the Carolina Hurricanes in a three-team deal.
Buffalo also seems poised to make a big trade or two before the deadline. The Sabres have a 22-26-5 record and are well on their way to adding a 14th season to the longest playoff drought in NHL history.

The Calgary Flames swung a <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/flames-swing-trade-with-flyers-nab-two-potential-oilers-targets">four-player, two-pick trade</a> with the Philadelphia Flyers last week and it appears general manager Craig Conroy is still looking for more.



Pierre LeBrun said on <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/dylan-cozens-morgan-frost-calgary-flames-flyers">TSN's Insider Trading</a> that the Flames have shown interest in Dylan Cozens of the Buffalo Sabres. LeBrun added that Calgary won't trade assets for rentals but they're looking for players who they can continue to build around.
<blockquote>“Despite being legitimately in a playoff race — Calgary absolutely has a chance to make the playoffs — they’re not going to let their short-term goals affect the longer-term vision, which is this: Calgary won’t go out and spend big assets on rental players. If they do something else that’s at least impactful, it’s once again going to be a hockey trade like we saw last week.

So, with that in mind, there’s a name that, my understanding is, the Calgary Flames remain interested in despite the acquisition last week of Frost and Farabee, and that’s Dylan Cozens in Buffalo.

Now, the Flames have been enamoured with him all year long. I don’t know if they have the pieces to make a deal work with the Buffalo Sabres for a couple of reasons: One, I don’t think Kevyn Adams in Buffalo is actually shopping Dylan Cozens. He’s taking calls, because Buffalo’s in last place and he has to take calls, but if he moves Dylan Cozens, who’s signed to a long-term deal, I think it’s going to have to be apples for apples and not just a futures deal."</blockquote>
Frank Seravalli also reported on <a href="https://x.com/DailyFaceoff/status/1887275013616902475">Daily Faceoff Live</a> that the Flames are looking to add even after acquiring forwards Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost from the Flyers. Seravalli speculated that Casey Mittelstadt of the Colorado Avalanche could be a fit for what Calgary needs.
<blockquote>"I think he's an ideal (second-line centre)... I really wonder about Calgary. They're a team obviously in search of a centre, even still after adding Morgan Frost. Casey Mittelstadt is on the higher end of their age scheme, but he does fit what they're trying to build.

Look, it hasn't worked in Denver. I think they've had some questions about his consistency and they're ready to move on. Could Calgary be one of those teams that steps forward to grab him?"</blockquote>
The <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/calgary-flames/line-combinations">Flames</a> have Nazem Kadri as their top-line centre, captain Mikael Backlund on the second line, and the newly acquired Frost as their third pivot. For Calgary to take a step from a middling team to a playoff threat, the team would ideally add a top-six centre who could push Backlund and Frost into bottom-six roles. That centre being a right shot would also be ideal, as Kadri, Backlund, and Frost are all left-handed.

Cozens was selected by the Sabres with the seventh overall pick in the 2019 draft. He broke out with 31 goals and 68 points for Buffalo in 2022-23 and signed a seven-year, $49.7 million extension in February of that season.

The Workhorse from Whitehorse has struggled to live up to that contract. He declined to 18 goals and 47 points in 2023-24 and only has 10 goals and 26 points through 53 games in 2024-25. Cozens has also been on the ice for the second-most goals against at even strength of any <a href="https://www.naturalstattrick.com/playerteams.php?fromseason=20242025&amp;thruseason=20242025&amp;stype=2&amp;sit=5v5&amp;score=all&amp;stdoi=oi&amp;rate=n&amp;team=BUF&amp;pos=F&amp;loc=B&amp;toi=0&amp;gpfilt=none&amp;fd=&amp;td=&amp;tgp=410&amp;lines=single&amp;draftteam=ALL">forward on the Sabres</a> this season.

Mittelstadt is another <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-game-notes-49-0-edmonton-continues-homestand-against-basement-dwelling-sabres">top draft pick</a> from the Sabres who didn't work out in Buffalo. He was selected eighth overall in the 2017 draft and broke out with 15 goals and 59 points in 2022-23. The following season, he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche for defenceman Bowen Byram.

The Avs liked what they saw from Mittelstadt down the stretch that season, so they inked him to a three-year, $17.25 million contract as a restricted free agent in the summer. Through 55 games in 2024-25, the 26-year-old has nine goals and 32 points.

It's been a wild season for Colorado, as the team swung multiple big trades well before the March 7 trade deadline. They overhauled their goaltending with the additions of Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood, and then they <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/forget-the-blackhawks-the-colorado-avalanche-are-the-big-losers-in-the-mikko-rantanen-trade">shockingly</a> traded <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/theres-some-belief-they-can-make-that-happen-oilers-signing-mikko-rantanen-isnt-that-far-fetched-of-an-idea">Mikko Rantanen</a> to the Carolina Hurricanes in a three-team deal.

Buffalo also seems poised to make a big trade or two before the deadline. The Sabres have a 22-26-5 record and are well on their way to adding a 14th season to the longest playoff drought in NHL history.

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