New Jersey Devils: 5 Teams That Should Be In On Nikita Gusev

Washington Capitals

Is this just picking all the teams with the prominent Russians? No, but this prominent Russian is the reason Gusev works on the Capitals. No, not because of his nationality, but because of his ability on the power play. Alexander Ovechkin is the greatest power-play weapon of the past two decades. Getting someone who has the passing skill of Gusev could set up literally a dozen PP goals before the end of the season.

These two would be magic if Gusev hits his stride. The Devils needed Gusev to find more of a scoring touch, but he was always an insane passer. His no-look pass is the only one that actually seems like it has a high chance of connecting. He can fake out a goal and a defender with one move, and then find the open shooter with ease. This is something that not only Ovechkin, but a player like TJ Oshie or Jakub Vrana would love.

The Capitals are currently division rivals with the Devils, but they aren’t really competing at this point. The Devils are 0-3-1 against the Capitals this season, so they are just in different leagues this season. A deal can be done here, especially with what the price might be.

The Devils and Capitals would have to make the salaries work, but that might not be hard in a couple of weeks. The Capitals have two 5th-round picks, so losing one or even a 4th-round pick wouldn’t hurt. Gusev would likely be happy to make the move. This could be a win-win.