George Richards, FHN Publisher
The Florida Panthers signed talented forward Nikita Gusev after his contract with the New Jersey Devils was terminated.
Chris Johnston of Hockey Night in Canada was first to report Florida was Gusev’s likely destination.
This is a low-risk, high-reward move for the Panthers who may be bringing in a highly-skilled player with the potential to really produce in the right situation.
Are the Panthers that right situation?
We will find out soon enough.
Florida has scored three goals in its past three games and although scoring has not been a problem for this team the past few years, general manager Bill Zito is always looking to improve the team’s depth.
A potential high-end player for nothing is always a smart move.
“Nikita is a highly skilled and creative forward who plays the game with great speed and playmaking ability,” Zito said.
“He has proven himself to be a tremendous offensive talent throughout his career. We are thrilled for Nikita to join the Panthers and look forward to what he can add to our team.”
Similar moves like Carter Verhaeghe (cut loose from Tampa Bay) and Anthony Duclair (Ottawa) have already paid off this season.
With the NHL Trade Deadline Monday at 3, bringing in a player like Gusev is an addition without giving anything up.
Despite all of the hype surrounding his arrival in the NHL, things did not work out in New Jersey for Gusev.
Originally a seventh-round pick by Tampa Bay, he was traded to Vegas at the expansion draft as part of a side deal the Lightning made.
For taking defenseman Jason Garrison (the former Panther had a cap hit of $4.6 million) and leaving Tampa Bay’s younger players, the Golden Knights got two draft picks and Gusev.
Playing in the KHL, Gusev started getting some attention when he scored 22 goals with 62 points for SKA Saint Petersburg in 2017-18.
The following season, he had 17 goals and 65 assists.
Gusev did sign with Vegas during the 2019 postseason but did not play in a game.
His first contract year burned up and, the cap-strapped Knights couldn’t afford to sign him to what he wanted.
So, Vegas traded him to the Devils for a second and third-round pick; New Jersey then signed the former MVP of the KHL to a two-year deal worth $9 million.
In his first NHL season last year, Gusev scored 13 goals with 44 points in 66 games. He has been a healthy scratch for much of this season, scoring just two goals with five points in 20 games.
The 28-year-old originally went on waivers last week but no team claimed him because of his cap hit.
Florida apparently signed Gusev for $1 million for one season; with only 14 games left that’ll work out to about $250,000 in real money.
The Panthers have lost their past three games but have a playoff spot all but wrapped up.
Perhaps a change of scenery — Newark to South Florida, the Panthers from Devils — could get Gusev going.
“Disappointed it didn’t work,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said.
“When you look through training camp, the scrimmages, he didn’t score. First 15 games, had a real tough time.
“We wanted to play a real fast, real quick game. I think there was times where he wanted to bring it back. I thought he had a number of really good opportunities to push through, and then I think at the end, the young players took over.”