Panthers’ Nick Cousins to play Game 6 of Stanley Cup Final

Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice announced on Thursday that forward Nick Cousins would draw into the lineup in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final vs the Edmonton Oilers on Friday.

Cousins was skating on a line with Ryan Lomberg and Kevin Stenlund. He will be replacing veteran Kyle Okposo.

Cousins has appeared in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff contests with the Panthers throughout their run so far, he has one assist and 20 penalty minutes. Cousins is coming off one of his worst seasons from a production standpoint, notching seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in 69 games, he added 64 penalty minutes.

The 30-year-old has been one of the more disciplined players in recent seasons, particularly with drawing penalties, as his 0.099 penalty goals above replacement per 60 minutes since 2021-22 is tied for 32nd in the league among forwards with at least 2000 penalty minutes.

Cousins was a former third-round pick of the Flyers in the 2011 NHL Draft, and he spent three seasons in Philadelphia before he was dealt to the Arizona Coyotes in 2017, where he spent another two seasons before the Coyotes opted to not give him a qualifying offer. He signed with the Montreal Canadiens in 2019 and was dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights at trade deadline that season before the Golden Knights also opted to not give him a qualifying offer. He then spent two seasons with the Nashville Predators before signing with the Panthers in 2022.

Cousins is currently in the final year of a two-year contract with a $1.1 million average annual value and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 offseason.