From an outsiders perspective, I would not do this trade as Buffalo. Draisaitl is going to make 12 million plus on his next contract which is probably similar in dollar value to Cozens and Power combined. Draisaitl is an incredible player but there’s a reason why him and McDavid have not won the cup yet. Because they have no depth. Buffalo has their elite player already in Thompson they need a really deep team like Tampa to win the cup. Teams need an identity third line like Goodrow, Coleman, Gourde or Clutterbuck, Martin, and Cizikas rather than a top end scorer to succeed in the playoffs.

for the most part i agree, Toronto and Edmonton best assets are their biggest deterrent in the playoffs, however McDavid and Draisaitle, and Matthews and Marner aren’t the issue on either teams. it’s both teams high priced secondary scoring pieces (for Edmonton it’s Hymen RNH and kane eating up the available cap for the depth and in Toronto it’s Nylander tavares)
for me an ideal team has 2 Elite forwards with at least 1 being a C, an elite D and then a mix of middle 6 forwards making 2.5-5 mil. like you said a good defensive minded 3rd line that provides some secondary scoring, a top 15 goalie, and at least 3 really solid defensive D men to go with the Elite two way #1 D
That being said Buffalo is well on their way to being Elite and should ride out their rebuild rather than jumping the gun and potentially ruining their development and cap situation.

No we would not

Buffalo shouldn't do this.

Let me add my two cents from a Sabre POV.
Cozens at 21 yo is already at a point a game making Quinn and Peterka look good on the second line.
You just do not notice him when he is on the ice, is the best comment one can make about Power.
He is so smooth he does everything effortlessly without noticing him.
He has a very quiet 12 assists and is + 13 for the year, not bad for a first year LHD.

Buffalo would never make this trade considering the upside both Power and Cozens still have.

For me a huge factor is Draisaitl only have two more years left, if he wasn't interested in extending with Buffalo you're just moving him fairly soon and going through all that added drama, the Sabres need to stay the course and continue the rebuild from within.

Edit: Also having two stud dmen in Dahlin and Power will be absolutely huge for the Sabres going forward, shouldn't mess with that.

I think that an elite team in the NHL can roll four lines and all three D pairs. And building that depth with two to three superstars is what separates good GM’s from great ones (and also horrible ones). Buffalo is in that spot right now. They have the salary cap if they use it wisely to build an elite team and their superstar Thompson is already locked up on a steal of a deal. Same with Cozens and soon Dahlin.