I don't get this obsession with Cousins. Tkachuk and Bennett got a lot of points lately when Cousins wasn't even on ice.
Their on-ice results together aren't even great, especially for a team this good.
If you want Verhaeghe to play with Barkov, at least try on line 2 someone more talented than Cousins. But not sure if we'll see domination like this:
We also saw how much better Lundell plays with good linemates, and I don't think Lomberg or Stenlund are the solution there.
So I see three options: accept the Sunrise Assassin as the best fit for a LW there, or try someone like Luostarinen but not necessarily expect the line to be the most dangerous together, or trade for a player who would be good fit there and have some skill.
I don't think our signed prospects are fully ready to make immediate impact in top-9, and that's not taking into account how much chemistry they would find there. There is an outside possibility with Jack Devine given his checking skills, but he can be signed only after the trade deadline and nobody knows if he'll be given some NHL games with a team that good.