Between drafting for size and loading up on veterans, the Ottawa Senators sent a loud message this summer they want to be harder to play against. Today, they signed a player that many opponents absolutely despise playing against.
The Senators signed free agent forward Nick Cousins to a one year deal, reportedly worth $800K.
Hearing #Sens have agreed to terms with Nick Cousins: 1 year x $800k.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) August 29, 2024
The Belleville-born 31-year-old has made stops in Philadelphia, Arizona, Montreal, Vegas, Nashville, and most recently in Florida, where he won a Cup earlier this year.
Cousins is a buzzsaw forward who can get you 20-25 points, but he’s best known in recent seasons for being a reckless player, making some extremely dangerous hits along the boards, and tagged with the same kind of rep that Matt Cooke – another Belleville native – had a decade ago.
Earlier this year, former NHL player Paul Bissonnette, a popular podcaster on Spittin’ Chiclets, completely went off on Cousins, calling him – and we’re very definitely paraphrasing here – the dirtiest player in the league.
HNIC analyst Kevin Bieksa isn’t much of a fan either.
Cousins does have a fan in Panthers’ head coach Paul Maurice.
“I’ve watched every shift he’s played for the last year and a half. I can pretty much guarantee nobody else has,” Maurice told the Miami Herald back in February. “But I’m biased about it. I love the guy. Teammates love him. We love him. That’s the great part about this sport. It’s a full contact, hotly contested sport. Players then get reputations, whether they’re earned or not. The more success you have, you’ll also have more people dislike you. I’m good with that. I’m good with Nick. I’m good with the way he plays.”
The Hockey News Florida’s David Dwork describes Cousins exit to Ottawa as a loss to the champions.
Cousins is another veteran addition to the Sens roster who will help lead a fourth line that was potentially tracking to be very young. With he and Noah Gregor now all but locked in on Ottawa’s fourth line, that means one less job up for grabs.
But it also means the addition of yet another Stanley Cup ring in that room.
