Dylan Cozens Gives Tim Stützle the Winger Travis Green Was Looking For

Travis Green has spent the early season doing a lot of line math, and his best answer so far came on the wing. Dylan Cozens moved onto a line with Tim Stützle and Fabian Zetterlund, and the Senators looked like a different top six in a 5-1 win over the San Jose Sharks.

Why Green kept reshuffling

Green has rarely had the same top-six group two nights running, and the reason is mostly injuries. The first major hit came when William Eklund went down. He was just beginning to settle into his role in the top pairings when the news about his absence arrived, and the top two lines have been rebuilt around the gap ever since.

Stützle, the 2020 third overall pick, has been the constant. The German centre has been playing with a rotating cast of wingers. Drake Batherson and Claude Giroux have usually been on his right side, which gave Green a reliable structure. The left side has been the problem. Stephen Halliday, Ridly Greig, Zetterlund, and recently injured forwards Warren Foegele and André Burakovsky all got looks there. None of them stuck long enough to build real chemistry.

That's the context that makes Cozens on the wing interesting. He's a different kind of player from the wingers Stützle has been working with. Think of a centre who handles the puck with control and has a heavy shot, paired with a forward who drives to the net and brings size and speed. On paper, that's a logical match. Coaches often reach for that kind of pairing when a skilled centre needs a winger who can win pucks and finish near the crease.

Zetterlund's role and the bigger picture

Zetterlund had already changed the feel of that line before Cozens arrived. Over the previous handful of games, he brought physicality and a hard-hitting shot. He's been getting to dangerous areas, and the chances have been there. What's been missing is the finish. Through the first fifteen games, he had one goal and five assists, which is a tough return when the chances are good enough to expect more.

That's why the Cozens move matters beyond one good night. If this group keeps producing, the hope is that Zetterlund's finishing comes around with it. Linemates who drive to the net and create second chances can help a winger who's been close to scoring, and the Stützle connection gives him better looks in the first place. My read is that Green is looking at this line as a way to fix two problems at once.

What happened in San Jose

The night in San Jose was the first time Cozens started as a winger on that line, and the scoring came early. Midway through the opening period, Stützle set up Cozens for his fourth goal of the season. Cozens is a former Buffalo Sabre who had a slow start, with just three assists in his first eleven games. He's been on a different track lately, with seven points in his last four games. Stützle and Cozens shared the scoresheet on four of those points, which says a lot about how quickly the two started working together.

The line's five-on-five numbers were strong too. The trio logged 9:28 at 5-on-5 and put up 10 shots. Their expected goals for percentage, per Natural Stat Trick, was 78.93%. MoneyPuck had them at 5.53 expected goals per 60 minutes, which puts them among the top forward lines in the league for that first game. Those are small samples, and one night doesn't prove anything over a season. Still, the process was good, and that's what coaches want to see first.

Across the full game, Cozens and Stützle combined for two goals, two assists, 12 shots, and four hits. Green couldn't have asked for much more from a first start, and the Senators' top-line production was the most consistent of the night.

What comes next

The schedule doesn't offer much rest. Ottawa faces a rested Anaheim Ducks team in the latter half of its fourth back-to-back set of the season. That's a real test of depth, and it's the kind of stretch where line changes tend to happen fast. Given how well this combination played in its debut, I'd expect Green to keep it together for now. Teams in this spot usually lean on the group that's been working, and this one has earned the minutes.

The bigger question is whether the chemistry holds once injuries clear and the lineup gets more complicated. Eklund's return will reshape the top two lines, and the left side could shift again. For now, though, Green has something he hasn't had much of this season: a top-six line that looks stable, drives play, and gives Stützle a winger who can do the heavy lifting. Watch Zetterlund's finishing and whether the expected goals numbers keep pace over the next few weeks. Those will tell us whether this is a real answer or just a good first night.