New Jersey Devils: Adding Nikita Gusev Gives Even More Depth At Wing
The New Jersey Devils have added the KHL star to the mix, and now their good group of centers will be complemented by a good group of wingers.
The New Jersey Devils shocked the world on Monday when they made a trade that their fans have been begging for all summer. They sent two draft picks to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for KHL star forward Nikita Gusev. Gusev was the KHL’s leading scorer in 2018-19 with 17 goals and 65 assists for 82 points. He is an incredibly talented player and the top non-NHL player in the world.
That means that in the same offseason, the Devils added the best non-NHL player in the world and the best prospect in the world to their team. You can say they added more talent this summer because they sure did. It has been very exciting to watch. The players on the team that should be the most excited about this transaction, are the centers. In particular Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, and Travis Zajac. That is because the wing depth on this team now is amazing.
Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, Jesper Bratt, Wayne Simmonds, Blake Coleman, and Miles Wood are just a few of the skilled wingers that this team has that has shown the ability to score. Adding Gusev to the mix pushes everybody on the left side down a spot and adds so much depth. He is going to have some expectations on him to score and he will surely do that.
Taylor Hall is an MVP caliber player, Palmieri is a consistent 25-30 goal scorer, and Jesper Bratt is one more step away from being a consistent top-six guy. This group of wingers looks very good and if they can all stay healthy in 2019-20, this team could score lots of goals. They have two future number one centers in Hischier and Hughes who can help them in all areas so the wingers should be able to put up some nice numbers.
light. Related Story. Jesper Boqvist and Nicklas Backstrom working out in Sweden
Gusev has won the last two KHL MVPs and is a four-time all-star in the league. He has the elite vision and a wicked shot. He should be able to provide lots of production for this Devils team. If you combine that with the production of Hall and the other wingers, this is going to be a dangerous team. It also going to affect the power play as well, as Gusev likes to slot in the left circle and let his wicked shot go in a way that fools goalies.
He will likely not be on the top line, simply because Hall and Hischeir have already developed some really good chemistry together. It would be ideal to see him as the second-line left wing with Jack Hughes in the middle. If that does end up being the case and they’re all playing well, this is going to be a very formidable group. Devils fans should be very excited about the depth on the wing