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Vegas Golden Knights: How Lehner, Cousins impact lineup

By Andrew Steele-Davis

OTTAWA, ON - JANUARY 11: Nick Cousins #21 of the Montreal Canadiens skates with the puck against Rudolfs Balcers #38 of the Ottawa Senators in the first period at Canadian Tire Centre on January 11, 2020 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)
OTTAWA, ON - JANUARY 11: Nick Cousins #21 of the Montreal Canadiens skates with the puck against Rudolfs Balcers #38 of the Ottawa Senators in the first period at Canadian Tire Centre on January 11, 2020 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images) /
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The Vegas Golden Knights significantly upgraded their roster at the Trade Deadline with two shrewd additions.

Looking for pieces that could help push them over the top, the Vegas Golden Knights were aggressive on Monday.

They sent Malcolm Subban, prospect Slava Demin and a 2020 Second-Round Pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for goaltender Robin Lehner, before acquiring versatile forward Nick Cousins from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a 2021 Fourth-Round pick.

Both players tick a lot of boxes for the Golden Knights and we decided to have a look at how Lehner and Cousins impact the lineup.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – DECEMBER 27: Robin Lehner #40 of the Chicago Blackhawks follows the action against the New York Islanders at the United Center on December 27, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – DECEMBER 27: Robin Lehner #40 of the Chicago Blackhawks follows the action against the New York Islanders at the United Center on December 27, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Robin Lehner

This is a simple one given that most NHL teams have two goalies on the active roster, unless you are the New York Rangers who are currently dealing with a three-headed goalie monster.

But, for the Golden Knights, they now boast one of the best goaltending tandems in the entire National Hockey League.

Robin Lehner has been more productive than Marc-Andre Fleury this year, ranking 11th in Save Percentage (.918) and 13th in goals saved above average (10.1).

While Fleury will still be the main man going forward, it is expected that he will share the load with Lehner down the stretch.

That will ensure that Fleury is fresh for the postseason and that will be huge for the Golden Knights.

Plus, should anything happen to Fleury (god forbid), the Knights can rest safe in the knowledge that Lehner will be able to come in and breach the gap.

VANCOUVER, BC – DECEMBER 17: Shea Weber #6 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrates with teammates Nick Cousins #21 and Joel Armia #40 after scoring a goal during NHL action against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on December 17, 2019 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC – DECEMBER 17: Shea Weber #6 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrates with teammates Nick Cousins #21 and Joel Armia #40 after scoring a goal during NHL action against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on December 17, 2019 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /

Nick Cousins

This was a real smart pickup by the Golden Knights.

Cousins can do a bit of everything and, not only will he provide an offensive punch, but he will also bring some grit and jam to the lineup.

He had nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points with a +1 rating in 58 games, which makes him a perfect fit for the third-line.

And that brings us onto where Cousins will exactly fit in.

For tonight’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, Cousins is set to play on the left wing of the third-line alongside Chandler Stephenson and Nicolas Roy.

Marchessault-Stastny-Smith
Pacioretty-Karlsson-Stone
Cousins-Stephenson-Roy
Carrier-Nosek-Reaves

You can call that a makeshift line given the injuries to Cody Glass and Alex Tuch, and we would like to see this lineup once the duo are back:

Marchessault-Stastny-Smith
Pacioretty-Karlsson-Stone
Cousins-Glass-Tuch
Carrier-Stephenson-Reaves

Now, that would be a hell of a third-line with Glass’ playmaking abilities meshing perfectly with the way Cousins plays the game.

Plus, dropping Stephenson to the fourth line would add a different dimension to the bottom-six, while hopefully generating more secondary scoring.

Next. Main Takeaways from the Trade Deadline. dark

Whatever the lineup once everyone is back healthy, Nick Cousins adds a different dimension and his ability to take on a number of roles will allow the Vegas Golden Knights to use the element of surprise, which could be key in the postseason.

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