The Montreal Canadiens have signed free agent center Nick Cousins to a one-year contract worth $1 million next season. This contract carries him through the 2019-20 season.
The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a one-year, one-way contract with free agent forward, Nick Cousins (value of $1 million).#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/M3e1iHU4yu
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) July 5, 2019
Nick Cousins Signs With The Canadiens
Over his five-year NHL career Cousins has split time between the Philadelphia Flyers and Arizona Coyotes. He has put up 31 goals and 42 assists for 73 career points in 259 career games. He was originally drafted in the third round, 68th overall of the 2011 NHL Draft by the Flyers. Cousins has played in six career Stanley Cup Playoff games but hasn’t recorded a point in those games.
Last season he scored seven goals and 20 assists for 27 points. He also added 35 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 49.8 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of +1.5.
What This Means for the Future
Montreal has been active the last few days signing Ben Chiarot yesterday and now Cousins today. Cousins joins former teammate Max Domi who came over from Arizona last year in a trade that sent Alex Galchenyuk to Arizona. The Habs now have 22 players signed on the active roster for next year. The Habs have three restricted free agents who have filed for arbitration before the deadline hits.
Cousins is basically a depth move for Montreal and could possibly see some time on the fourth line at the start of next season. He has played up the middle the past few years in Arizona and held a career-high 46.7 percent on faceoffs last year… which doesn’t say much. He is a player who can score some timely goals, and isn’t afraid to drop the gloves. Expect him to battle it out during training camp for a spot on the fourth line on the Habs, if not you can expect him to be an extra body on the roster.
