This isn’t regarding Brad Marchand, but another pest in the NHL who for all intents purposes remains unsigned, while free-agency draws down.

Nick Cousins

Photo credit: NHLPA

This leaves players left over, taking scraps as NHL teams finalize their rosters, deals with RFAs, and have concluded most negotiations. Unsigned players hope to land a spot on a team, with an opening, and one of those is rat Nick Cousins.  He has gained a reputation as one of the NHLs most unliked players, which seems hard to do given Brad Marchand exists.

This is even after he and the Florida Panthers won a Stanley Cup in 2023-2024, he didn’t benefit from a post-Stanley Cup spending spree on players who did complete the journey.

He drew ire early in the season due to his play, with former NHL player Kevin Bieksa calling him a “rat”:

“What people don’t wanna watch and see is kneeing, hitting a guys head into the boards, ramming a guy from behind and that is a common theme for [Nick Cousins],” said Bieksa back in January. “I have never done this before but I have to do it, because this is a trend with this player.”

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As an agitator, he has tendencies that can benefit a team, which could help a team with Connor Bedard keep the opposition off their game nightly.

In the absence of someone like Corey Perry, could the Blackhawks and Kyle Davidson benefit from having him on the bottom six? He’d certainly be affordable for a league minimum contract.

“There’s no place in the game for this and what is the common theme in all of these? Him at the bottom of the pile in a turtle position,” said Bieksa with disgust. “This has been a common theme with this player… somebody in that organization or somebody that he respects has to sit down and say ‘Enough of this’ or the NHL has to come down and hammer this guy.”

“Somebody has to hammer this guy from the department of justice and put an end to these crappy hits because I hate em and that’s a rat to me,” said Bieksa. “I’m sorry it is.”

Bieksa’s rant would resonate with fans in the NHL, as it went viral and one couldn’t help but wonder if this is the prevailing thought in modern NHL locker rooms.

Cousins is a bottom-six forward, who scored 15 points( 7 G, 8 A) in 69 games with the Panthers while adding only an assist in 12 appearances during the Panthers run to their first Stanley Cup.