Vegas ran out of cap room, forcing Nikita Gusev to hit the block. Now, the Devils have found a way to add extra scoring punch to their already impressive summer without breaking the bank.
Nikita Gusev|Pawel Andrachiewicz/PressFocus/MB Media/Getty Images
The New Jersey Devils needed an extra scoring punch and the Vegas Golden Knights needed cap room. Enter left winger Nikita Gusev, who the Golden Knights sent to New Jersey for the team’s third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in 2021, with the Devils inking Gusev to a two-year deal with a $4.45-million AAV.
Gusev’s deal adds to what has already been a fantastic summer for the Devils. It started with drafting Jack Hughes with the No. 1 pick in June, only to acquire defenseman P.K. Subban the next day. But more importantly, it addresses a desperate need on the left wing in Jersey: he led the KHL in scoring with 82 points this past season, the second-highest single-season output in league history. Even if you took away Gusev’s 17 goals this season, his 65 assists would give him the 22nd-best total in the league’s 11-year run. It adds help to the left side Taylor Hall was the top-scoring left wing on the Devils with 37 points after getting limited to just 33 due to injuries. Blake Coleman (36) was the only other player to record 30 points on the left side.
Prior to the deal, the Devils had $16 million in cap space freed up, with just forward Pavel Zacha and defenseman Will Butcher to sign. The biggest priority will be signing RFAs Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt and UFA Hall next summer, while Wayne Simmonds, Sami Vatanen and Andy Greene will all need to be dealt with. At $4.5 million, Gusev’s contract doesn’t hurt the cap situation and finally gives the team’s strong center depth some extra oomph to work with.
The Devils can afford to take risks to make the team a contender. Gusev has yet to play a game, but at 27, he isn’t your typical NHL rookie. For Vegas, who has over a million in cap space after a multitude of moves this summer, the team already looks like a Stanley Cup contender with Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty and Jonathan Marchessault occupying the wings. The Golden Knights have already surrendered a handful of prospects to become a contender over the past few years but now sit with 16 over the next two seasons, including five in the first three rounds in 2020, so a bit of future-proofing can’t hurt after trading a player with the potential to be a star.
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