According to TSN’s Bruce Garrioch, the Florida Panthers are closing in on a contract with depth forward Nick Cousins. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports it’s a two-year deal worth $1.1MM per season.
Cousins, 28, has been a bottom-six center for most of his NHL and has provided a similar set of skills to the variety of NHL teams he’s served. Cousins is a bottom-six forward who provides shift-to-shift energy and depth scoring. In 68 games with the Predators Cousins scored nine goals and 22 points, getting those numbers on only 12 minutes of ice time per night. Cousins sometimes was used on the Predators’ power play, but was not a featured option there.
Cousins doesn’t have the skill or separation ability to be an offensive difference-maker at the NHL level. But he has shown the ability to score once in a while taking on a limited role. That’s likely what he’ll be asked to do in Florida, though there’s always the possibility that he gets swept away in the tide that is the Florida Panthers’ offensive machine and has a career year.
The ultimate 13th forward.