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Vegas Golden Knights: Grading an explosive Trade Deadline

By Andrew Steele-Davis

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 22: Robin Lehner #40 of the Chicago Blackhawks participates in warmups prior to a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at the United Center on October 22, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 22: Robin Lehner #40 of the Chicago Blackhawks participates in warmups prior to a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at the United Center on October 22, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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NEWARK, NJ – FEBRUARY 4: Nick Cousins #21 of the Montreal Canadiens shoots the puck as goalie Louis Domingue #70 of the New Jersey Devils makes the save during the third period of an NHL hockey game on February 4, 2020 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Montreal won 5-4 in a shootout, (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ – FEBRUARY 4: Nick Cousins #21 of the Montreal Canadiens shoots the puck as goalie Louis Domingue #70 of the New Jersey Devils makes the save during the third period of an NHL hockey game on February 4, 2020 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Montreal won 5-4 in a shootout, (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images) /

Nick Cousins

The Vegas Golden Knights went into the Trade Deadline with a clear need when it came to addressing their lack of secondary scoring.

It has been a major bugaboo that has hindered this team all year, while injuries to Alex Tuch and Cody Glass coupled with the trade that sent Cody Eakin to the Winnipeg Jets only highlighted the flaw further.

And the Golden Knights did address that glaring need by trading for forward Nick Cousins from the Montreal Canadiens.

While there were bigger offensive threats available on the market, the Knights acquired a player in Cousins that can take on multiple roles.

He’s a Swiss-Army Knife type player who can play on the wing or as a center, while being able to slot in anywhere in the bottom-six.

NEWARK, NJ – FEBRUARY 4: Nick Cousins #21 of the Montreal Canadiens skates during an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils on February 4, 2020 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ – FEBRUARY 4: Nick Cousins #21 of the Montreal Canadiens skates during an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils on February 4, 2020 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images) /

Cousins can log minutes on the second power-play unit and his 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) for the Canadiens this year suggests that the 26-year-old can provide an offensive punch.

Plus, the forward also brings a certain amount of grit and tenacity to the table, able to play a 200-foot game while boasting silky hands.

And, despite being on a bad Canadiens team, Cousins still had a 54.2% Corsi, a Shots For Percentage of 55.06, an Expected Goals For Percentage of 55.14 and a High-Danger CF% of 54.31.

Impressive stuff indeed.

This was a smart trade for the Vegas Golden Knights given Nick Cousins’ ability to do a bit of everything, and he should be able to provide an offensive punch from the third-line.

Grade: B

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