Veteran winger seeking return to NHL

Earlier this week, James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now relayed (Twitter link) that veteran winger Nikita Gusev was on the ice at the Devils’ development camp.  That wasn’t necessarily just a random alumnus popping by, however, as Championat’s Dmitry Storozhev relays that Gusev is hoping to return to the NHL for next season.

The 31-year-old previously spent two years at the top level, one going much better than the other.  In his first year back in 2019-20 with New Jersey after being acquired from Vegas, Gusev did relatively well, putting up 13 goals and 31 assists in 66 games while logging a little under 15 minutes a night of ice time.  However, things went off the rails the following season as he picked up just two goals and three assists in 20 games before eventually having his contract terminated by the Devils late in the season.  From there, he signed with Florida, adding five more points in 11 games down the stretch.

But after not getting a strong market in free agency, Gusev eventually decided to return to the KHL for the 2021-22 campaign, signing with SKA St. Petersburg.  He produced a little over a point per game in his two seasons with them before moving to Dynamo Moscow for the 2023-24 campaign after having his contract with SKA terminated.

Gusev had a resurgent season with them, leading the league in assists (66) and points (89) while playing in all 68 games.  He then followed that up with ten points in nine postseason contests.  It’s the second time he has led the KHL in scoring, the first being 2018-19, the year before he first came to the NHL.

While he has received an offer to remain with Dynamo Moscow or to join other KHL franchises, it’s telling that Gusev remains unsigned; this report that he’s seeking another NHL opportunity would certainly explain why he hasn’t put pen to paper on a new deal yet.

Considering how his time in the NHL ended a few years ago and the fact that a lot of teams have done their heavy lifting roster-wise this summer, it stands to reason that Gusev won’t be able to command a $4.5M AAV as he did last time.  However, if a team is looking to add some offensive creativity to their roster and Gusev’s asking price is more affordable, he could be a particularly intriguing pickup for someone in the coming days and weeks.