With pre-season practices and regular season coming along, a lot of New Jersey Devils fans and hockey fans in general are feeling amped up. Amped in the sense that their excitement for Nikita Gusev is overflowing. Fans hope he can bring more skill and firepower to a growing Devils team.
A lot of KHL’ers like a Ilya Kovalchuk, Alexander Radulov, and Artemi Panarin have proven that they can play at the NHL level. The New Jersey Devils didn’t have much offensive firepower due to the injuries of Taylor Hall and so many other reliable players. Once it’s all said and done, it becomes the season that ended with the Devils gaining Jack Hughes.
However, fortunes are on the New Jersey Devils side. They are very blessed to have been patient and cashed in on Nikita Gusev’s situation with a cap crunched Vegas Golden Knights team. Ray Shero maybe looking very wise in reaping the rewards of a prized Russian winger and now still has under $8 million in cap space. The ability to have a Nikita Gusev one line below Taylor Hall is going to be very beneficial if all goes according to plan.
A team like the Devils has gone through so much of a downward spiral, that the energy of picking Jack Hughes, trading John Quenneville for John Hayden, trading for PK Subban, and now NIKITA GUSEV is a mega win. Ray Shero is looking like a complete genius and going for The Golden Goose from Russia that can attack and bring a lot to a young and upcoming Devils roster.
Now, what can we expect from Gusev’s first season with the Devils? Here are five examples: