"It excites me, and I've heard nothing but good things about the organization," Cousins said. "The city of Nashville, guys like playing there, guys like living there, so I'm excited."
Cousins is also looking forward to scouting out some neighborhoods where can take his puggle, Riley, for a stroll, but the real attraction comes on the ice.
Predators General Manager David Poile described Cousins as an "in-your-face player" and someone who can be "a little bit of an agitator." That's exactly how Cousins plans on engaging with the Preds, but he got more to his game than just being a pest.
"I would describe myself as a player that's hard to play against," Cousins said. "I can bring a little sandpaper, a little grit, but at the same time, I have some skill, I can make plays and I like being around the net. I'm a versatile forward that can play all three forward positions, and I can bounce up and down the lineup as well. Those guys are hard to find, so I think I could fit that bill for them."
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward has the numbers to prove he has more than a single dimension too. Cousins scored 10 goals and added 25 points in 65 games with Montreal and then Vegas in 2019-20, one season removed from a career-high 27 points two seasons ago with Arizona. That trip to the NHL Bubble over the summer saw him dish out five assists to go with 22 penalty minutes in 17 playoff games with the Golden Knights.
Cousins established himself as a full-time NHLer in 2016-17 with Philadelphia after he was drafted by the Flyers in 2011, and of the 215 NHL forwards who had at least 750 minutes of ice time in 2019-20, Cousins (765:06) had the 23rd-best 5-on-5 shots attempts for percentage of 54.8, doing so while averaging 13:31 of ice time.
After four full NHL campaigns, and with Nashville being his fourth team in the past three years, Cousins has learned a thing or two about how he views his career and role as a player. That outlook has helped him become someone the Predators believe can contribute up and down their lineup over at least the next two seasons.
"A couple teams," Cousins laughed in regard to sporting different logos in recent memory. "I just feel like you can't worry about the things that you can't control. I think that's probably the biggest thing for me. I mean, you can't control when you get traded, you can't control where you're going to end up or ice time and stuff like that; I just try to approach every day with a positive attitude. I just come in, work hard, and at the end of day whatever happens happens. There are so many things in this game that you can't control and can't worry about, can't stress over, just wasting energy and trying to think about what's going to happen out there. You just have to play to the best of your abilities."
Cousins not only knows what he's capable of, but he's seen fellow newcomer Brad Richardson in action as well. The pair of Belleville, Ontario, natives were teammates for two seasons in Arizona, and Cousins says experience is just one element the forward will bring to Nashville.
"He's 35 years old now, but he can still play," Cousins said of Richardson. "I feel like his ability as a teammate is what's kept him around so long. I mean, guys love playing with him. He's such a hard worker, and he does everything right. He's good on faceoffs, he's responsible defensively, and I don't think a lot of people know that he scored 19 goals actually just two years ago now…. He's sneaky good offensively, and I don't think he gets enough credit for it."
Cousins wouldn't mind a goal total like that for himself either, and it's certainly possible with the way he may be utilized throughout the lineup in Nashville. He's not going to worry about that for now, however. Instead, Cousins is simply excited about the situation he's entering and what he could bring to a team that feels they're still right in the mix for more than just a playoff berth.
"They probably didn't meet expectations last year, so there's going to be a lot of hunger for a lot of the guys in the room," Cousins said. "I know the guys are going to be feeling refreshed and energized, and I can't wait to be a part of that."
