21 Nick Cousins RW

Cousins has a chance to establish a new career high in points if the 2019-20 campaign ultimately resumes; he's produced 10 goals and 15 assists between the Canadiens and Golden Knights.

Cousins' role hasn't changed since Montreal traded him to Vegas at the deadline, as he's still averaging over a minute of power-play ice time to complement his third-line duties at even strength. The Golden Knights also sit atop the Pacific Division, which further suggests that Cousins has plenty of peer support in his new digs. We wouldn't expect him to suddenly emerge as a fantasy hockey darling, but Cousins checks out as a solid, budget-friendly flier to consider if and when the season picks up where it left off. He needs just three points for a new career high in points.

Cousins snagged an assist and doled out three hits in Friday's 4-2 win over the Sabres.

Cousins has a point in each of his two games with the Golden Knights. The 26-year-old has 24 points, 81 hits and 108 shots through 60 appearances. He's serving in a third-line capacity with his new team, but the Golden Knights' offense has run deep enough to make him productive -- Cousins may be worth a look in deeper formats.

Cousins scored a power-play goal on three shots and added two blocked shots in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Oilers.

Cousins' tally at 5:44 of the third period stretched the Golden Knights' lead to 2-0 at the time. The 26-year-old appears set to receive at least an opportunity on the second power-play unit with his new team. He's at 10 goals, 23 points, 78 hits and 108 shots through 59 appearances this year. Cousins could be a good roster-filler in DFS given his slightly physical edge and potential man-advantage time.

The Golden Knights acquired Cousins from the Canadiens for a 2021 fourth-round pick on Monday.

Cousins had a solid season with the Canadiens, recording 22 points -- four on the power play -- and 105 shots on net through 58 games, and he'll add depth up the middle for Vegas. The Golden Knights have a powerful power play, so Cousins isn't a lock to work with the man advantage. The 26-year-old is set to be a restricted free agent in July,

Cousins scored a goal in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to Dallas. He had one shot, one hit and one blocked shot over 11:49 of ice time.

Cousins snapped a five-game goal drought with his ninth marker of the season. The 26-year-old forward has appeared in every game since overcoming a back injury to start the season, skating mostly on the fourth line. If the Canadiens become sellers at the trade deadline (Feb. 24), Cousins could see an expanded role going forward, although the Habs may want to get prospects like Ryan Poehling and Jesperi Kotkaniemi back to the NHL for further development.

Cousins scored a goal on two shots in Tuesday's 5-4 shootout win over New Jersey. He added four hits and a five-minute major over 16:00 of ice time.

Cousins has notched six points over the last seven games while getting work in a middle-six role. The Canadiens are still dealing with injuries at forward, so Cousins, a fourth-liner to begin the season, is getting a chance to operate with more skilled forwards. With Jonathan Drouin (wrist) nearing a return, Cousins may soon be back on the bottom line.

Cousins registered an assist, three hits and two shots on goal in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Blue Jackets.

Cousins is up to 18 points, 88 shots, 64 hits and a minus-1 rating in 48 games this season. He'll likely continue to feature in a bottom-six role, which will limit his fantasy usefulness to deeper formats only.

Cousins scored two goals in Montreal's 5-4 shootout win over Vegas on Saturday.

The 26-year-old has points in back-to-back games (two goals, one assist). It's a nice performance, but Cousins doesn't deliver enough to make him fantasy worthy.

Cousins has been fined for an incident that occurred during Tuesday's loss to the Red Wings, Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette reports.

The NHL fined Cousins $2,688.17, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for boarding Detroit's Mike Green. Cousins received a minor penalty for cross-checking when he hit Green from behind, sending the Red Wings defenseman hard into the boards. Cousins has a total of 10 minutes in penalties over 38 games.

Cousins had an assist, five shots, one hit and one blocked shot over 17:32 of ice time in Thursday's 2-1 loss to Tampa Bay.

Cousins assisted on Montreal's lone goal, which barely missed being a power-play score. He was given the first crack at replacing Brendan Gallagher (concussion) on the Canadiens' top line. Gallagher became the fifth forward to land on injured reserve, so Cousins should see a spike in ice time until the Habs hit their bye week beginning Jan. 19. Over the last two games, he's averaged 17:37, including 2:38 on the power play.

Cousins scored a goal on two shots and added two PIM in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Canucks.

Cousins tallied the tying goal at 8:05 of the second period. The 26-year-old has three goals and a helper over his last six games. Cousins is up to 11 points, 58 shots on goal and 45 hits in 28 appearances overall. He's not always a consistent scoring threat, but he may be worth a look in deeper fantasy formats while he's relatively productive.

Cousins scored a power-play goal in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime win over Ottawa.

Cousins, who is averaging a career-high 1:39 of ice time on the power play, has two power-play goals and three points over the last four games. This nice stretch comes after the forward went 11 consecutive games without hitting the scoresheet. The 26-year-old Cousins has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 26 games.

Cousins had an assist with three shots on goal, one hit and one blocked shot in Friday's 2-1 win over the Rangers.

Head coach Claude Julien made some line adjustments following an injury to third-line center Jesperi Kotkaniemi (concussion) sustained in Thursday's loss to Colorado. Part of those adjustments was to promote Cousins from the fourth line to the third line, and he registered the primary assist on Nate Thompson's game-winning goal late in the third period. After a flurry of offensive activity when he first returned from a back injury, Cousins had a stretch of 11 games without a point, but he has rebounded with points in the last two games.

Cousins scored a power-play goal in the third period to make the game interesting, but Montreal fell 3-2 to the Avalanche on Thursday.

Cousins cut the lead to one early in the third period, but Montreal failed to score the rest of the way and has now lost eight of its last nine games. Prior to scoring against the Avalanche, Cousins had gone 16 games without a goal, his last one coming back on Oct. 30. Even in a power-play role, he is a risky play most nights in fantasy.

Cousins had two shots, two hits and a minus-1 rating over a forward-low 8:13 of ice time in Wednesday's 2-1 overtime loss to Ottawa.

Cousins has been a nightly starter and consistent producer on the fourth line since overcoming a back injury, but the 26-year-old forward has gone a season-high five games without marking the scoresheet. He should remain part of the active lineup as Montreal deals with injuries to Jonathan Drouin (wrist) and Paul Byron (knee), but an initial offensive spark (seven points in 11 games) has worn off.

Cousins had a power-play assist, one shot on goal, one hit, one blocked shot and a minor penalty in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Kings.

Despite his fourth-line status, Cousins continues to be a steady contributor on offense. He was part of the first-unit power play Saturday, picking up his first point on that special team, and has points in seven of 11 games played.

Cousins had an assist, two shots on goal and two hits in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Flyers.

Cousins opened the game on the fourth line but received an in-game promotion to the top line, replacing Tomas Tatar. On the first shift with his new mates, the Canadiens scored their first goal when Ben Chiarot buried a rebound off a Cousins shot. He and Phillip Danault expertly led a rush through the neutral zone that led to the goal, giving the Habs a lift in a game during which they were badly outplayed. It's unlikely Cousins will become a fixture on the top line, but the 26-year-old forward has provided offensive depth with six points (two goals, four assists) in 10 games. He's also getting power-play ice time, averaging a career-high 2:14 on the man-advantage unit.

Cousins scored a goal in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Coyotes.

He's drawn into six games this season, producing two goals and three helpers while skating to a plus-6 rating. Cousins had 19 goals over two seasons with the Coyotes. It seems his move to the Canadiens has been beneficial, with the 26-year-old doing his part to help his new team's depth scoring.

Cousins had an assist and one hit in Saturday's 5-2 win over Toronto.

Cousins did the dirty work along the boards, winning a puck battle and getting the puck to Nate Thompson who set up Nick Suzuki for the Habs' final tally. Cousins, whose season debut was delayed due to a back injury, posted a point for the fourth time in five game. The 26-year-old forward has made five straight starts on Montreal's fourth line, which has been a productive combination since the addition of Suzuki, an elite rookie prospect.

Cousins scored a goal on a team-high six shots over 13:20 of ice time in Thursday's 4-2 loss to San Jose.

Cousins put the Canadiens on top in the first period when he scored his first in the sweater of the bleu-blanc-rouge. He and Brendan Gallagher were on a 2-on-1 when Cousins opted to shoot and banged home his own rebound from a tight angle. He appears to have moved ahead of Jordan Weal (healthy scratch Thursday) and has played four consecutive games, including taking Weal's time on the power play.