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

Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets could use some scoring, but this would be a scary move for them with Gusev’s lack of defense. Connor Hellebuyck has been great in net, but he’s had to with that defense in front of him. The Jets need to score goals to keep them in contention in what’s turning out to be a strange North Division.

The Jets are second in the division, but they are only six points ahead of the Vancouver Canucks who hold the fifth spot in the division. They could make some moves to sure up the bottom six scoring depth.

Right now, the Jets have Paul Statsny, Blake Wheeler, Kyle Connor, and Nikolaj Ehlers in the top-six wing positions. Those are solid, and that should be enough to contend. However, the bottom-six wingers could use some help with scoring. Gusev would give them that.

This gets very complicated with the move across the border. Gusev is already playing in the U.S. on a Russian visa, so he would have to move his visa to Canada. Plus, he would be required to quarantine for 14 days once he got there. That’s really going to hurt his ability to build chemistry with Jets’ teammates. It’s a huge risk in terms of fit, but if it works, it could propel the Jets as a possible winner of the North Division. That kind of risk might be worth it for the Jets. For the low cost of a middle-round pick, the Jets would sign up.