Maple Leafs could look to a familiar face for depth solution

Nick Cousins, someone who has been a thorn in the side of the Maple Leafs especially since eliminating Toronto in the 2022 Playoffs would provide the type of 3rd/4th line centre the Maple Leafs need. He wouldn't provide a huge boost to the scoring portion of the team but wouldn't need to.

What he would bring to the table is a grit unlike no other, unafraid to use all 5'11, 192 pounds to throw his weight around but often criticized for not sticking around in the heat of battle but he could easily line up with enforcer Ryan Reaves and if he wanted to let the big man fight for him, I'm sure he'd have no arguments.

There is little to no risk to signing him to the league minimum, and with youth options like Easton Cowan possibly a year or two away from consistent minutes the veteran forward looks like a safe, if unpopular option. His ability to get into opponents' heads and goad them into reckless behaviour (often at the cost of himself taking sin bin minutes) he could provide a spark come playoff time; not to mention he's fresh off a Stanley Cup win with the Florida Panthers.

Cousins registered 15 points last year with the Panthers, and has played for 5 other teams in his career including the Montreal Canadiens, Arizona Coyotes, Nashville Predators, Vegas Golden Knights and Philadelphia Flyers; who drafted him in the 3rd round, 68th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Sources:

HockeyDB:
Nick Cousins Statistics

Maple Leafs Daily:
Maple Leafs Could Target League's Most Hated Centre To Fill 3rd Line C