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

The New Jersey Devils are going to sell the farm at the NHL Trade Deadline if the other teams in the league allow them. They have 11 NHL players that will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season. Some will come with pretty significant interest from the rest of the league. The one with the most interest is Kyle Palmieri, and we wrote about him yesterday, but one of the most intriguing trade prospects is Nikita Gusev.

Gusev has not been the player the Devils hoped to be getting when they sent the Vegas Golden Knights two picks then signed him to a $9 million contract. He was coming off a season where he was the KHL MVP, and he was considered the best player that wasn’t in the NHL.

Nikita Gusev could be an interesting piece at the NHL Trade Deadline.

Immediately, he never found a spot in the lineup and his defense really suffered. The Devils tried pairing him with Jack Hughes at first, but they never really got chemistry together. Now, he’s toiling in and out of the lineup. There’s no chemistry between him and any linemates, and the only time he even makes a small impact on the game is the power play, which hasn’t been very good.

He has a positive CF% at 5v5. However, his HDCF% is terrible. It’s historically terrible. Just to give some perspective, his line has had 157 total chances on net, but only 14 have been of the high-danger variety. On the other side, Gusev has been on the ice for 146 total chances against at 5v5, and 42 have been high-danger chances. It isn’t all Gusev’s fault, but nobody on the Devils is even close to these numbers.

Gusev is a clear change of scenery guy, but his numbers are scary bad. A team might be willing to take a flier on him for a mid-to-late-round pick. That could open up the market for teams that wouldn’t usually be buying at this point. Think of the Wayne Simmonds deal last season. The Buffalo Sabres were a strange fit, but it only cost a 5th-round pick, so they decided it was worth a shot.

Which teams could be looking to find lightning in a bottle with Gusev? He has talent, but it never worked in New Jersey. It could work somewhere else, but he has to find the right fit.

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers are an intriguing partner for the Devils. They have some prospects who are at the end of their rope, and the Devils could be willing to give them a shot in their system. Meanwhile, the Panthers could use a dynamic playmaker to go in their bottom six. Most of their points come from the top six (duh), but the bottom six leaves a ton to be desired. Frank Vatrano and Anthony Duclair are the only ones with double-digit points in the group.

Gusev would allow the Panthers to have more leeway with the forward group. Right now, the team is reliant on young wingers like Owen Tippett, who only has seven points this season, and Mason Marchmant, who has six. The Panthers could use another body.

Gusev hasn’t been scoring at all this season, but maybe under the tutelage of Joel Quenneville, he can revive his NHL career. The Panthers are currently tied for first place in the Central Division. They are going to be in a dog fight with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes in the second half of the season. The Cats can make the money work, and they have all of their draft picks this year plus an extra 7th rounder.

Gusev isn’t going to be much more for the Panthers than an extra piece that could turn into something. However, if Gusev has a similar second half to what he had last season, he will be an important secondary scorer down the stretch.

St. Louis Blues

This one is intriguing, but it makes a lot of sense when broken down. There’s the easy explanation that playing with fellow Russian star Vladimir Tarasenko could invigorate him. There’s also a good coaching staff in place in St. Louis, and they could get creative with Gusev.

The Blues need some help at left wing. David Perron, Tarasenko, Mike Hoffman, and Oskar Sundqvist is a sick right wing group. However, injuries have left them with Zach Sanford and Jordan Kyrou in the top six. Would Gusev be the answer to their issues? Maybe not, but he would definitely get a shot if the Blues traded for him.

There’s not much a 4th or 5th-round pick can get a team in trades (although, it did get the Devils Ryan Murray), but at the deadline a team can take a chance on someone with a ton of short-term upside. Gusev still has the ability to be a really good NHL player, but something isn’t working. Going to the Blues would put him directly in a playoff race on a team that might fit his skillset better.

Not only that, but he would be going with a center who could set him up. He likely won’t play on the top line with Ryan O’Reilly, but he could play with Tyler Bozak or Brayden Schenn. This will help him gain confidence, and if he’s able to score a couple of goals, he could turn into a really nice player. It’s clear there’s a hesitance with Gusev’s game, and the Lindy Ruff coaching staff hasn’t been able to fix it. Maybe moving to the Blues is enough to get him to bounce back.

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.

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.