Back in his NHL playing days from 1992-2007, Ottawa Senators head coach Travis Green was a feisty, tenacious forward who played on the edge. So it should come as no surprise that Green is a fan of Nick Cousins, who has all those attributes and more.
Cousins signed a one-year deal with the Senators on Thursday worth $800,000.
“Well, he’s another guy that’s won a Stanley Cup,” Green said Friday on TSN 1200 Radio in Ottawa. “He’s been in the league a while now, a veteran guy. He can bring a lot to the game – tenacity, and work ethic, and he’s not easy to play against. He can play up and down the lineup and he’s been to the finals. He’s lost in the finals, he’s won a Cup, and I think it’s a great addition.”
Green spoke about the importance of surrounding the young core with players who know how to win. Cousins is the third former Cup winner (David Perron and Michael Amadio) this summer to sign with the Senators in free agency.
“We feel it’s important to help our young core grow and it’s not easy to win a Stanley Cup.” Green said. “Everyone wants to do it so badly. We just felt that having people around that have done it… and it’s not just in the games, it’s your everyday approach to the game, your attention to detail, the importance of practice. Understanding the little things that it takes to win are sometimes the hardest things for younger players to grasp.”
Green says Cousins is now one of several forwards on the club capable of playing centre after the top three of Tim Stutzle, Josh Norris and Shane Pinto.
“I like having guys that can play center or wing or left or right and I think we’ve got a lot of options. I’m not in a rush to sit and say these three are going to play together. I want to watch camp. I want to take it all in and then we’ll make the decision as we go. But there are some options at centre. Obviously, Ridley Greig can play centre, Nick Cousins, Zack Ostapchuk, Adam Gaudette, Jan Jenik, Matthew Highmore. There’s lots of guys that can play center. So we’ll see where it goes.”
Along with his edge, Cousins brings more skill than the Senators have been used to in the fourth line position. For example, it’s hard to imagine the Sens putting any of their recent fourth line guys out for overtime in a playoff series-clinching game.
