NHL Stanley Cup champ switches agents after lack of offers in free agency

After coming off of a high, winning the top prize in the NHL, one place that Nick Cousins was not expecting to be, was still on the free agent list. Free agency is now well over a month old, and the 2024 Stanley Cup Champion was not receiving any offers.

Cousins did not do himself any favors with questionable hits that left his team in precarious situations. His production during the season and post-season also took a hit from him performance in the 2022-23 campaign. Those two things could be a factor in his availability.

But according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, Cousins decided it was his agent and switched to representation with Craig Oster of Newport Sports.

Oster has clientele within the NHL, representing players such as Rasmus Dahlin, Erik Karlsson, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Kevin Fiala, Erik Cernak, Mark Scheifele, Mark Stone, Shea Theodore, to name a few. His 69 clients under contract are making a combined $215.9 million in the 2024-25 season.

At this point, Cousins may have to bite the bullet and work to get on a team with a professional tryout contract (PTO) during training camp. Otherwise, he could end up playing a season in Europe and hope to play well enough to get back to the NHL for the 2025-26 season.

The Belleville Ontario native last season scored 15 total points in 69 games. But his 64 penalty minutes was the most noticeable. He did add one playoff assist in the 12 games played for Florida as they completed there season as Stanley Cup Champions.

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Stanley Cup champion changes agents amid lack of offers in free agency