Montreal Canadiens: Grading All of Marc Bergevin’s Trade Deadline Deals
Nick Cousins
The Canadiens signed Nick Cousins in a low cost move shortly after free agency opened last July. He got a one year contract with a cap hit of just $1 million. He was a third round draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2011.
He was traded to the Arizona Coyotes before becoming a free agent last summer. In 81 games lat year with the Coyotes he scored 27 points. To get him for a million bucks seemed like good, cheap depth.
And that is exactly what Cousins is, a good depth player that comes cheap. He played well for the Habs when put on the fourth line and just asked to play a tough, gritty forechecking style while not allowing the other team to score. The problem was, his coach kept putting him on the power play.
I hated seeing Cousins on the power play night after night but that wasn’t his fault. What was he supposed to do, go in the coaches room and say he doesn’t want to be in front of the net with the man advantage?
If Cousins was used in the proper role, he could have been just fine. He is a fourth line left winger and will be a restricted free agent this summer. He is just 26 years old and had nine goals and 22 points in 53 games this season.
I wouldn’t have traded Cousins if it were up to me. I would have re-signed him for a slight raise on a two-year contract. In that contract, I would have put the first ever “no power play clause” so Claude Julien couldn’t put him on the ice with the man advantage.
Cousins was traded a the last minute to the Vegas Golden Knights for a fourth round pick in 2021. I guess that is okay value for Cousins but it is not the kind of offer that you have to pounce on. I would have kept Cousins around and let him play the fourth line role that he is perfectly suited for.