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Nick Cousins

Nick Cousins Returns to Senators Lineup

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Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins has been activated from LTIR and is in the lineup for today’s afternoon tilt against the Flyers, per TSN’s Bruce Garrioch. It represents his first game action since suffering a knee injury in late January. He is skating on a Sens’ third line alongside center Shane Pinto and Michael Amadio.

Originally expected to miss three months with the injury, GM Steve Staios recently stated the 31-year-old Cousins has been “attacking his rehab,” and he now returns ahead of his recovery timeline and in time to help make an impact in the playoffs. Cousins will provide the Sens with a reliable bottom-six option for their playoff lineup, as well as a trustworthy penalty killer. In his career, Cousins has appeared in 63 playoff contests and helped the Panthers capture the Stanley Cup just last season. In 47 games this season, Cousins has produced five goals, 13 points, 80 hits, and 24 blocked shots while averaging just under 12 minutes of ice time per game.

Coach Travis Green told reporters Saturday that he’s happy to see Cousins return to the lineup but added he will be rusty and that the team will have to get him up to speed.

Garrioch adds that forwards David Perron and Ridly Greig and defenders Nikolas Matinpalo and Nick Jensen are out of the lineup today, while Cousins, Angus Crookshank, Dennis Gilbert and Travis Hamonic are all playing. As Garrioch notes, Jensen has been playing with an unspecified lower-body injury for some time, and with the Sens already locked into a playoff spot, now serves as good time to give the veteran some recovery time. With Jensen and Matinpalo out, the door was opened for Hamonic and Gilbert to return to the lineup. Hamonic, who has played in 56 games this season and recorded six points and -17 rating, is skating on the team’s second pairing with Thomas Chabot, while Gilbert is skating with Tyler Kleven on the team’s third pairing. Gilbert has skated in 26 games this season and has recorded five points.

While the other absences from today’s game don’t appear to be serious in nature, Green noted the team is also not mailing in these final games of the season, per Garrioch. Green added that experienced teams understand that the intensity picks up in the playoffs, so he’ll look for his team to continue to showcase that energy in the final games of the season. It’s also one of the reasons the team recently recalled winger Hayden Hodgson to add some physicality to the lineup.

East Notes: Bruins, Greaves, Cousins, Penguins

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The Bruins are shutting down defenseman Charlie McAvoy and center Mark Kastelic for the final week of the season, relays Boston.com’s Conor Ryan (Twitter link).  Interim head coach Joe Sacco indicated that both players are making progress from their respective injuries but will run out of time before the year comes to an end.  McAvoy has missed the last two months with a shoulder injury sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off; his year comes to an end with just 23 points in 50 games, the lowest point total of his eight-year NHL career.  As for Kastelic, he has missed the last three weeks with an upper-body issue.  He finishes with a career-best 14 points in 61 games while chipping in with 128 hits, earning him a three-year, $4.7MM extension in early January.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • With Elvis Merzlikins unavailable for tonight’s must-win game against Buffalo, the Blue Jackets announced the recall of Jet Greaves from AHL Cleveland on an emergency basis. The 24-year-old has been up with Columbus several times this season, posting a 2.83 GAA and a .905 SV% in six outings heading into today’s action.  He has a 2.62 GAA and a .910 SV% in 40 games with the Monsters and with Daniil Tarasov struggling, Greaves got the start against the Sabres.
  • Senators winger Nick Cousins was a full participant in practice today and hasn’t been ruled out of Friday’s game against Montreal, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Originally expected to miss at least three months after suffering a knee injury in late January, it looks like the 31-year-old will be able to beat that by a couple of weeks at least.  Ottawa will have to make a roster move in order to activate Cousins off LTIR as they don’t have the cap space to add him back to the roster otherwise.  Cousins has 13 points and 80 hits in 47 games this season.
  • The Penguins announced (Twitter link) that forwards Noel Acciari, Blake Lizotte, Rutger McGroarty, Matthew Nieto, and Thomas Novak are all being shut down for the final few games of the season. Those players being out provide the context for the three players Pittsburgh recalled earlier today.  Of the absences, McGroarty is the most notable as he had been given a bigger role since being recalled late last month, logging over 16 minutes a night while playing on the top line as the Penguins hoped to give one of their top prospects a good look down the stretch but that look winds up being shorter than expected.

Brady Tkachuk Possibly Out Until Playoffs

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While the Ottawa Senators clinched their spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last night, they may be without their captain until the playoff begins. According to an NHL release, Brady Tkachuk may not return in the regular season as he continues to deal with an injury.

Tkachuk has been out five games since sustaining an upper-body injury in Ottawa’s overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 30. He sustained a hit late in the second period from defender Ryan Graves that drew a penalty, and Tkachuk did not return to the game. Tkachuk has scored 29 goals and 55 points in 71 games on the year, while also dishing out 227 hits and recording 123 penalty minutes. The Sens have gone 3-2 in his absence and currently sit in the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

A fan favorite in Ottawa, Tkachuk, 25, already ranks fourth in team history in goals (191), sixth all-time in points (404), and third in penalty minutes. However, the power forward has never experienced the NHL playoffs. The Senators, who took Tkachuk fourth overall in the 2018 draft, have not qualified for the playoffs since the 2016-17 season. That year, the Senators went on a deep run before eventually losing game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Penguins in double overtime. It’s been 2,876 days since the Sens last playoff appearance.

Asked if Tkachuk could return if the playoffs hypothetically started tomorrow, GM Steve Staios stated, “I would think so, yes. I can’t give you a definitive (answer).” He added that Tkachuk has continued to progress and that it’s natural for teams to mull over these types of decisions. Staios added it’s a balancing act between wanting to get a player back to full health, while also trying to maintain momentum heading into the playoffs.

Staios added that veteran forward Nick Cousins, who has missed 29 games since sustaining a knee injury on Jan. 25, is traveling with the team and close to returning. He said Cousins has been attacking his rehab to expedite his possible return to play. In 47 games on the year, Cousins has recorded five goals and 13 points in a depth role.

Atlantic Notes: Cousins, Brannstrom, Barkov, Sturm

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While it was expected that the Senators would be without forward Nick Cousins for the rest of the season after he underwent knee surgery in January, that might not be the case anymore.  Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays that the 31-year-old could resume skating with them as soon as Thursday after skating on his own in recent weeks.  As a result, it’s possible that Cousins could return either late in the regular season or be available to suit up in the playoffs.  Through 47 games this season, Cousins has five goals and eight assists along with 80 hits in a little under 12 minutes of playing time.

More from the Atlantic Division:

  • Sabres defenseman Erik Brannstrom has had a bit of a whirlwind season with Buffalo being his fourth organization. Colorado signed him in free agency but moved him before the season to Vancouver and he was then flipped to the Rangers in the J.T. Miller trade.  Along the way, he has only gotten into 28 NHL games this season.  As a result, it appears he could be eyeing a change of scenery as SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson reports (subscription link) that the 25-year-old could be off to Switzerland next season with a long-term contract expected.  Brannstrom has 294 career NHL appearances under his belt but with a quickly diminishing role so a change of scenery could help his chances of getting back to the top level down the road.  Buffalo can retain his rights via restricted free agency for the next two years.
  • The Panthers announced (Twitter link) that center Aleksander Barkov was scratched from tonight’s game versus Toronto due to an upper-body injury. The captain was banged up on Tuesday in Montreal but while he left the game briefly, he returned for the third period and didn’t seem to have any lingering effects.  Barkov is second on Florida in scoring this season, tallying 19 goals and 47 assists in 64 games.
  • Still with the Panthers, center Nico Sturm suffered an upper-body injury on Tuesday in Montreal and is listed as day-to-day, relays team reporter Jameson Olive (Twitter link). The 29-year-old was injured in a collision in the first period with A.J. Greer in his first shift of the game.  Sturm was added from San Jose at the trade deadline as extra depth and has one assist in 11 appearances with Florida in a little under 10 minutes per night of playing time.  Sturm did not suit up tonight either with Tomas Nosek taking his spot on the fourth line.

Senators’ Nick Cousins To Miss 6-8 Weeks

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Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins will be out through at least early March after suffering a knee injury in the team’s Saturday win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Cousins suffered the injury on a knee-to-knee collision with Leafs rookie Jacob Quillan. Both players needed help off the ice after the hit, though Quillian ultimately avoided an injury. Senators head coach Travis Green shared that Cousins would miss significant time immediately after the game. Now the forward could be a candidate for long-term injured reserve, though Cousins is getting different opinions on the severity of his injury, per TSN’s Bruce Garrioch.

Cousins has been a reliable bottom-six forward for the Senators, appearing in 46 of the team’s 48 games and averaging just over 12 minutes of ice time prior to his injury. He has five goals and 13 points on the year, just shy of the 15 points he managed in 69 games with the Florida Panthers last season. Cousins continues to sit off of his team’s special teams units – which should make his role a bit less of a headache to replace.

Since Cousins’ injury, top forward Joshua Norris has made his return to the Senators lineup. That addition should fill their hole for the time being, with Adam Gaudette and Matthew Highmore securing routine roles on the fourth line. Ottawa also successfully passed winger Cole Reinhardt through waivers on Wednesday, which grants him a 30-day waiver exemption and gives Ottawa a movable extra forward. Reinhardt has two points, a goal and an assist through 12 games this season. They’re the first points of his career, in some of his first NHL games, though he made his NHL debut in the 2021-22 season. Reinhardt has since been a productive member of the AHL’s Belleville Senators. He leads that team in points-per-game this season, with 16 points in 13 games. Ottawa could also turn towards rookie Stephen Halliday – Belleville’s leading scorer with 27 points – should they need additional support over the next two months.

In other Senators news, defenseman Nick Jensen returned to the team’s practice in a full-contact jersey on Wednesday. Jensen has missed the team’s last two games with an undisclosed injury. His status for Ottawa’s Thursday matchup against the Washington Capitals is undetermined, but Jensen is expected to return soon, per Sportsnet’s Alex Adams. Jensen has 18 points in 48 games this season – the second-highest scoring pace of his 10-year career behind his 29 points in 77 games of the 2022-23 season.

Finally, star goaltender Linus Ullmark should return within the next few games, per Garrioch. Ullmark has missed the last 16 games with a back injury. He’s been an integral piece to the Senators’ lineup in his first year with the club, boasting a 12-7-2 record and .915 save percentage through 23 games this season. He’ll be a critical addition when he’s back to full health.

Senators Sign Nick Cousins

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3:30 P.M.: Ottawa has made the one-year signing of Cousins official.

2:30 P.M.: The Senators are signing free agent forward Nick Cousins to a one-year deal worth $800K, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports.

Cousins, 31, is a 10-year NHL veteran and reached UFA status this summer after completing a two-year, $2.2MM deal he signed with the Panthers in 2022. He played in 33 of Florida’s 45 playoff games over the last two years as they captured the Eastern Conference championship in 2023 before winning the Stanley Cup this year for the first time in franchise history. This was Cousins’ fifth go-around on the UFA market, going unqualified three times earlier in his career.

Overall, the forward has appeared in 592 regular-season games with Philadelphia, Arizona, Montreal, Vegas, Nashville, and Florida, averaging 10 goals, 16 assists, 26 points, and 127 shots on goal per 82 games while seeing 12:25 on the ice per contest. Cousins, who can play both center and left wing, fell out of the Panthers’ regular lineup last postseason and only appeared in 12 of 24 games, posting a lone assist and a -1 rating with 20 PIMs while averaging 8:42 per game.

Known mainly as a physical presence with some offensive upside, Cousins recorded 16 goals and 42 points in 148 regular-season games during his two years with the Panthers. His 130 hits in 69 games last season were a career-high, finishing sixth on the club. After over six weeks into free agency without landing a deal, Cousins changed his representation earlier this month. He’s now represented by Newport’s Craig Oster, who also landed Noah Gregor a one-year, $850K deal with the Sens earlier in free agency.

The Sens have $1.1MM in projected cap space with an open roster spot after the signing, per PuckPedia. With no notable RFAs needing new deals, they’re in an excellent place to add another depth piece on the open market before training camp.

With Ottawa’s top nine largely set after the signings of Michael Amadio and David Perron in July, Cousins will compete for fourth-line duties with Gregor, Angus Crookshank and Zack MacEwen as his principal competition. Other depth pieces like Matthew Highmore and Zack Ostapchuk are likely ticketed for AHL Belleville to begin the season but will likely be given a long look in camp.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Snapshots: Gustavsson, Flyers, Khaira

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After re-signing Marc-Andre Fleury and indicating that they’d like Jesper Wallstedt to see more NHL action in 2024-25, it looked as if Filip Gustavsson was set to be on the move this summer.  That hasn’t happened as of yet and Joe Smith of The Athletic notes (subscription link) that it appears that Gustavsson will now be sticking around, meaning that Minnesota will be juggling three goalies at times when they want Wallstedt to get a look.  Gustavsson is coming off a tough year, one that saw him post a 3.06 GAA with a .899 SV% in 45 games after putting up 2.10 and .931 respectively in 2022-23.  The Wild’s cap situation will make it tricky to carry three goalies; GM Bill Guerin acknowledged that Wallstedt could be in a “hybrid” situation that sees him spend time with Minnesota and AHL Iowa as a result.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • The Flyers have added a pair of prospects to their upcoming rookie camp roster. Jonathan Bailey of Philly Hockey Now relays that goaltender Sam Hillebrandt and forward Josh Zakreski will join them in September.  Hillebrandt had a 3.67 GAA with a .899 SV% in 36 games last season with OHL Barrie while serving as the third goalie for Team USA at the World Juniors.  Zakreski, meanwhile, is their lone undrafted invitee from July’s development camp to move on to rookie camp so far.  He had 21 goals and 28 assists in 68 games in 2023-24 with WHL Portland.
  • Unrestricted free agent forward Jujhar Khaira was on Vancouver’s radar for the PTO slot that went to Sammy Blais earlier this week, report Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic (subscription link). The 30-year-old is a veteran of 337 career NHL games but only one of those came last season as he spent most of the season with AHL Iowa where he had 18 points in 22 games.  Drance and Dhaliwal add that the Canucks have not shown interest in Nick Cousins or Milan Lucic who are also looking for a new place to play for the upcoming season.

Snapshots: Devils, Regenda, Dobson

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The Devils should be one of the early teams active on the PTO front, argues James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now. The Capitals and Lightning were the first teams to ink tryouts for next month’s training camps when Jakub Vrana and Logan Brown agreed to them yesterday.

Cal Clutterbuck, Nick Cousins and Calen Addison were among the players that Nichols identified as speculative targets for the Devils, who could still stand to ink a couple of fringe NHLers to round out their depth chart at all positions. After their offseason spending spree on defense, though, landing some depth help on the wings would likely be a more attractive proposition to general manager Tom Fitzgerald, making Addison a bit of a long shot.

To that end, Cousins stands out as the most intriguing option of the three and the one with the clearest path to a contract should he end up inking a PTO in New Jersey. The 31-year-old is coming off a Stanley Cup win with the Panthers but remains unsigned, recently changing his representation. A versatile bottom-six energy player who can play all three forward positions, Cousins had seven goals and 15 points in 69 games with Florida last year and recorded a career-high 130 hits. He was a relative non-factor in the postseason, though, averaging fewer than nine minutes per contest and only contributing one assist in 12 games.

Other tidbits from around the league:

  • Ducks depth winger Pavol Regenda will represent his native Slovakia in this month’s qualifying tournament for the 2026 Winter Olympics, relays Derek Lee of The Hockey News. An RFA this summer, Anaheim brought back Regenda for his third season with the organization on a two-way deal last month. The 6’3″, 219-lb forward has appeared in 19 NHL games over the past two seasons, recording a goal and two assists. He’s been an impact player for the Ducks’ AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, where he projects to start this season after posting 19 goals and 34 points in 54 games last year. Regenda has firmly cemented himself as a fixture on the Slovakian national team, appearing for them at the last three World Championships. He was also on their roster for the 2022 Olympics, where he helped them to a bronze medal with a goal and three assists in seven games.
  • The bevy of hefty extensions doled out to defensemen this offseason doesn’t bode well for the Islanders being able to squeeze a bargain out of Noah Dobson before he reaches restricted free agency next summer, Matthew Page and Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News write. Dobson, 24, exploded for 60 assists and 70 points in 79 games last year, finishing eighth in Norris Trophy voting. With less offensively-inclined comparables like Brock Faber landing eight-year deals in the $8MM AAV range, the Isles may need to shell out north of $9MM per season to keep Dobson on a long-term deal.

Snapshots: Cousins, Soderstrom, Avalanche, Pellerin

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Winger Nick Cousins remains unsigned as we approach six weeks into the free agent market.  Accordingly, he has decided the time is right to change representation as Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that he has changed his agent from Octagon’s Andy Scott to Newport’s Craig Oster.  The 31-year-old spent the last two seasons with Florida but saw his offensive output dip from 27 points in 79 games in 2022-23 to 15 in 69 contests in 2023-24, his lowest full-season point total.  Cousins also suited up in a dozen playoff contests along the way to the Panthers’ first Stanley Cup title.  The veteran has 180 points in 592 regular season appearances in his 10-year NHL career so far and should be able to land a PTO agreement at a minimum in the coming weeks.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Rasmus Kagstrom of Hockey Sverige relays that goaltender Linus Soderstrom attracted some recent interest in North America before opting to sign a one-year extension with SHL Skelleftea back in March. The 27-year-old was a fourth-round pick of the Islanders in 2014 and received his entry-level deal but played only four games in their system during that time.  Since then, Soderstrom has become one of the top-performing netminders in the SHL, putting up a 1.63 GAA with a .929 SV% in 30 appearances in 2022-23 and a 2.03 GAA with a .913 SV% in 36 games in 2023-24.  He bettered those numbers in the postseason, including a .944 SV% in 14 contests last season.  Another showing like that could have him on the NHL radar again next spring.
  • Colorado’s AHL affiliate announced the signing of three players to contracts for the upcoming season, forwards Tye Felhaber and Keaton Mastrodonato along with defenseman Bryan Yoon. Felhaber, 26, spent the last two seasons with AHL Milwaukee and recorded 23 points in 50 games with the Admirals last season.  Mastrodonato, meanwhile, spent most of last season, the 23-year-old’s first full professional campaign, with ECHL Idaho where he put up 24 goals and 18 assists in 48 games.  As for Yoon, the 26-year-old spent most of his first full pro season in the ECHL as well with Utah, recording 17 points in 35 appearances.
  • The Canadiens have invited undrafted forward Maxime Pellerin to their upcoming rookie camp, per a note from his junior team in Victoriaville (Twitter link). The 21-year-old spent his entire five-year QMJHL career with the Tigres and is coming off his second straight year of averaging more than a point per game, notching 73 points in 67 regular season games plus 21 more in 14 playoff contests.  Pellerin is ineligible to return to junior so he’ll be hoping to land a professional contract off this tryout.

Florida Panthers Make Lineup Changes

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With warm-ups about to start for an all-important Game 4 between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers, the Panthers will have a different look in their bottom six. According to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports, Florida is expected to hold Nick Cousins and Ryan Lomberg out of the lineup, while Kyle Okposo and Steven Lorentz will replace them.

As one of the biggest agitators in the Panthers’ lineup, Cousins has continued to do what he’s known for during the postseason even after seeing his ice time cut precipitously. Relied upon by Florida as a physically involved player, Cousins has only administered three hits during the Eastern Conference Finals after totaling 14 in the team’s series against the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins.

Similarly to Cousins, Lomberg has been a very physical player for the Panthers all season long on the team’s fourth line but has not been able to feature in many postseason appearances up to this point. Even though Florida has already played in 14 games this postseason, Lomberg has suited up in only five, registering zero points while posting a -2 rating. However, Lomberg’s absence was not due to poor play as he suffered an upper-body injury in the team’s Round One series against the Lightning.

Okposo will return to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the last four games with his most recent contest coming in Game 6 of Round Two against the Bruins. Acquired as a veteran forward to insert into the team’s bottom line, Okposo has already registered two assists in this year’s playoffs, providing more offensive punch than the other options.

On the other hand, Lorentz had primarily been relied upon as a depth piece for the Panthers this season in case of injury. Nevertheless, Lorentz has already equaled his production over 38 games in the regular season, scoring one goal and three points in only nine postseason games.

Although these lineup changes are centered around Florida’s fourth line, it appears that head coach Paul Maurice has his eye set on generating more offense from his forward core. After a casual victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Panthers were only two shots away from having a commanding three-game lead. Keeping this in mind, Maurice may hope one of these players could become a difference-maker in Game 4.

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