Every good NHL team needs a player or two who can play that role on ice that's often described as the greasy rat role—that guy who perpetually gets under the other team's skin, distracting them from focusing on their own game. The Florida Panthers have had a bunch of those types of players the past two years on their way to two Stanley Cups, so while it's a hateful ingredient, it's obviously a helpful one. Always has been.

Nick Cousins was one of those players on the Panthers' first Cup winner. This time last year, he was enjoying summer, wondering about his pending free agency, and prepping for his day with the Cup in August. But when his day with the Cup arrived on August 20th, he was still without a contract for 2024–25.

With September about to hit, and after some ongoing dialogue with former Flyers teammate Claude Giroux and Sens captain Brady Tkachuk, Cousins finally signed a one-year deal in Ottawa on August 31st, just a few weeks before training camps opened.

Cousins could have become a UFA again this year and gone through the whole process again, but after that experience, a season in Ottawa, and a new baby at home, he opted to forego free agency and get what he could to stay.

According to the X account Lalime’s Martian and Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, Cousins has signed a one-year deal with the Senators worth $825,000.

Cousins was just rounding into form in his new surroundings last year when he suffered a serious knee injury in a neutral-zone collision in a January 25th game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was able to return for the playoffs and finished the year with 15 points in 50 games.

Cousins is known for his agitating style, but there's some offensive skill in there as well. Cousins was an elite scorer in junior with the Soo Greyhounds, and the Sens would be thrilled to see him flirt with 25 points in the fourth-line role that he plays.

As he returns this fall, fully healthy, a comfortable summer under his belt, and knowing exactly what to expect in now familiar surroundings, Nick Cousins is poised for a fine season in 2025–26.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News/Ottawa
Image Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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