Adaptation problems, low performance and a solid contract: why New Jersey put Gusev on draft refusals

Nikita Gusev may soon leave the New Jersey Devils.

According to the Canadian portal Sportsnet, the management of the National Hockey League team is not interested in continuing to cooperate with one of the main heroes of the 2018 Winter Olympics, so they put him on the draft of refusals.

Thus, any club can freely pick up a player before April 12.

The decision to refuse Gusev's services was commented on by the head coach of the Devils Lindy Ruff.

The mentor admitted that this season was not the most successful for the Russian.

According to the specialist, the forward was "not quite in shape" for the rally, in which the team needs more physically strong players.

It is worth noting that the 2020/21 season really turns out to be extremely difficult for Gusev.

And it is Raff who is largely responsible for this, who noticeably shifted the accents in the team's game after joining the coaching bridge.

“New Jersey” began to act in a faster and more powerful manner, which turned out to be not the most ideal alignment for a technical and creative, but not the most physically powerful and fast Russian.

The adaptation was very difficult, as evidenced by only one assist in the first nine regular season matches.

This could already be called a wake-up call, but hope was inspired by the fact that in his first season in the NHL, Gusev also had an unsuccessful starting segment.

Then he scored four (3 + 1) points in the first nine games, but later managed to get used to the league and finished the regular season with decent performance.

In 66 games, he has scored 13 goals and 31 assists, making him New Jersey's second top scorer.

The first place was taken by Kyle Palmieri (25 + 20).

However, this time there was no such transformation.

By mid-March, Gusev had only two goals and three assists in his assets - the fourth-worst result among hockey players who had five or more meetings in the season.

At the same time, an extremely low utility indicator ("-12") speaks against Nikita.

In this regard, only his former link partner Pavel Zakha ("-13") looks worse, however, the Czech compensates for this with a relatively high productivity.

With 19 (7 + 12) points, he is the leader of the team's scorer race.

It is worth noting that Raff gave Gusev a chance to prove himself for quite a long time.

Until the beginning of March, Nikita spent an average of 13 minutes of playing time on the ice, and he played not only in the third and fourth, but also in the second link.

Given the presence in the top three of Jake Hughes, similar in size and function, there was no hope for more.

However, he did not manage to take advantage of the coaching advances.

First, the Russian was reduced playing time, and on March 21, he was transferred to the reserve altogether.

After the defeat to Pittsburgh, the forward was removed from the squad, and subsequently put up for a draft refusals.

At first glance, the situation with Gusev may seem rather strange.

In one year, he could hardly have slowed down enough to turn from the second top scorer of the team into a hockey player, gaining points only in every fourth match.

Probably, the point is in the coach and his model of the game, which is not quite suitable for one of the brightest and most creative hockey players of the team.

However, the Devils management decided to look for the problem not in the mentor, but in the player himself.

And this despite the fact that the results of the team not only did not improve, but sagged even more.

If last season "New Jersey" scored 49.3% of possible points, then this year it is at around 45.6%.

As for Gusev's prospects, in this regard, everything seems rather vague.

Until April 12, any club in the league can pick it up, but whether there will be anyone willing is a big question.

The problem is the Russian's big contract, which amounts to $ 4.5 million a year.

At the moment, the Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators and Los Angeles Kings have the necessary place under the salary ceiling, but it is not known whether this will be of interest to the hockey player himself.

The named teams are in the process of restructuring and do not pretend to get into the playoffs.

Yes, in the event of a transition to the conditional Ottawa, the Russian will not compete for the Stanley Cup, but he can get the necessary playing practice and the opportunity to prove that he is only partially responsible for the unsuccessful segment in New Jersey.

Taking into account the fact that in the summer he will become an unlimited free agent, the chance to prove himself is worth a lot.

In case of success, he will be able to get a second chance to prove himself in the NHL and not much "sag" on the salary.

At the same time, a few more months in reserve can finally put an end to his prospects in the overseas league.

With this scenario, returning to Russia may be the only option for continuing a career.

As for the giants, the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers have theoretical chances to clear the payroll and get Gusev, but for this they need to carry out a couple of exchanges.

However, not the most attractive statistics of a Russian is unlikely to force them to take such steps.

If at the end of last season it could still seem reasonable, now it seems unlikely.

Of course, it would be extremely interesting to watch Gusev at Tampa Bay. Firstly, it was this team that initially chose him in the draft, and secondly, Nikita Kucherov, a longtime partner of the Russian in the Red Army, stands for him. The Lightning leader could certainly not only help his compatriot find a new job, but also make him a pair in the top three. At the last world championship, this duo looked very impressive and would hardly have hit the dirt in the face in the NHL.