Maple Leafs could target league's most hated center to fill 3rd line C position

The Leafs need a third line center and there are a handful of free agents available that could fill that void, including Nick Cousins.

Mainly remembered by Leafs Nation as the one that eliminated the Maple Leafs in the second round in the 2023 playoffs, Nick Cousins is widely known as the NHL's most disliked players. That's due to the fact that he often crosses the line and then proceeds to turtle or disengage when his teammates step in.

Make no mistake about it, the agitation he brings is something the Leafs lineup still needs after the departure of Tyler Bertuzzi. Cousins can fill that role adequately, although his offensive numbers dipped last season. In 2023-24, we saw the 32-year-old only produce 15 points in 69 regular season games for the Panthers.

Another veteran option for the Leafs to add some depth down the middle is former Ottawa Senator Chris Tierney. Tierney struggled last season registering just 12 points in 52 games with the New Jersey Devils. However, he would provide the Leafs will a decent penalty killer and speed in the bottom six.

Another potential option for the Leafs is 27-year-old Rem Pitlick, who has shown offensive upside in the AHL, registering 57 points in 59 games last season, but went pointless in 9 games with the Chicago Blackhawks. Pitlick, like Cousins, would bring some sandpaper to the Leafs' bottom-six as well as some speed and penalty killing abilities.

The Leafs have just $1.275M in cap space without Nick Robertson or Jami Hakanpaa accounted for and while the hope is that a youngster like Pontus Holmberg or Fraser Minten is able to grab the third line center spot, the four players above would be very solid options for the Leafs to bring to training camp on PTOs and give them some sort of safety net in case Holmberg or Minten struggle to grab hold of a larger role.

Source: Hockey DB Nick Cousins Stats

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