The insider Frank Seravalli revealed that Nick Cousins, the most hated player in the NHL, signed a contract with the Ottawa Senators.

In a post on X, Seravalli announced that the player signed a one-year, $800k contract with the Senators, who will once again look to have a breakout season.

Here’s what he wrote:

This signing caused a surprise for two main reasons.

First of all, other NHL players voted him over Brad Marchand as the most hated player in the league due to his repeated offenses and the multiple injuries he has caused to others.

Here are a few examples, including a controversial hit on Arizona Coyotes’ Juuso Valimaki from last season:

The other reason is financial. Many people were surprised to see that Cousins, despite his league-wide reputation, agreed to an $800k salary. When free agency started, only a few weeks after he won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers, many believed he would be able to get more.

Nick Cousins joins the Ottawa Senators: Will the team finally have a breakout season?

It seems like the Ottawa Senators have been rebuilding for years. They faced complications when the franchise was sold, marking a total shift in the management team as well. With the hiring of Steve Staios as President of Hockey Operations and General Manager, and Travis Green as head coach, this season could be marked by those changes.

In addition, during the offseason, they managed to acquire a true number one goalie in Linus Ullmark. With their talented core of Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle gaining more experience in the NHL, fans are hopeful that the team will take a big step forward this season.

Even if Cousins can’t contribute as much offensively as other players, he brings an important physical presence that could make some teams rethink part of their strategies when facing the Sens. Indeed, he scored 15 points in 69 regular season games last season with the Florida Panthers, but he showed his grit by tallying 64 penalty minutes.

It is an interesting addition for the Senators, but it could end up hurting the reputation of the team if he continues to play dirty and senselessly injures players.