Nikita Gusev
Status:
Unlimited Free Agent (UFA)
Previous club:
Florida Panthers
For Nikita Gusev, the past season has become one of the hardest in his career. The New Jersey Devils striker felt uncomfortable in the Lindy Ruff system, which instantly affected his performance, then his emotional mood, and subsequently on the time on the court. By April, the Olympic champion Pyeongchang had only five (2 + 3) points in 20 matches with a utility of "-12" and was out of the application, and later was put up for a draft refusal.
Florida took the forward, but the Russians were far from ideal there. All the same two goals and three assists, however, already in 11 matches and a transfer to the reserve at the very end of the regular season. As a result, Gusev did not play in any Stanley Cup playoffs and was forced to watch from the stands as his team was losing to the future champion, Tampa Bay Lightning. Unsurprisingly, the club ended up not offering Nikita a contract, which made him an unrestricted free agent at the end of July.
And if you look at the development of the situation and Gusev's latest statements, you get the impression that there is no particular interest in his candidacy even now. Back in July, the Russian talked about his desire to continue his career in the NHL, noting that money is not the main thing for him. But apparently, this did not attract potential employers. Since then, no information has appeared in the media about the interest of one or another league team in him, as a result of which rumors began to circulate about his possible return to Russia. In particular, the general manager of Avangard, Alexei Volkov, was asked about his desire to sign Nikita.
“I have an equal relationship with all agents.
Gusev's representatives did not contact me about him.
Nikita still wants to get a job in the NHL.
If he becomes available, we will be happy to consider his candidacy, "Volkov told Sport-Express.
Andrey Svechnikov
Status:
Restricted Free Agent (RFA)
Previous club:
Carolina Hurricanes
In turn, his compatriot Andrei Svechnikov is in a completely different situation. Yes, the indicators sagged a little: if in the 2019/20 season he chalked up 61 (24 + 37) points in 68 matches, then in the next - only 42 (15 + 27) in 55. However, this did not make him less valuable. an asset for Carolina. The 21-year-old remains one of the league's most promising strikers, and the Hurricanes are reluctant to let him go. And this is confirmed by the fact that at the end of July Don Wedell sent the hockey player a qualifying offer along with other hockey players.
There is reason to believe that Svechnikov's departure from Karolina is unlikely to take place in the near future. Unlike Gusev, he is in the status of a restricted free agent, therefore, his current club has priority in the matter of signing a contract. And letting go of a striker of this level at such a young age is a rather strange step. Thus, Andrei will either have to come to a consensus with the current leadership, or refuse the offer and go to the KHL - this is exactly what Kirill Kaprizov is now allegedly considering. But does this make sense, if you do not take into account the Olympics in Beijing?
In fact, the question is not whether Svechnikov will sign a new contract with Karolina, but how long it will be calculated for.
According to The Athletic, the team is expectedly interested in concluding a long-term agreement for a period of seven to eight years, and the player himself does not mind.
A week ago, "Sport-Express" announced that Andrei would agree to stay in Raleigh until 2029.
Ilya Sorokin
Status:
Restricted Free Agent (RFA)
Previous club:
New York Islanders
The situation is similar with Ilya Sorokin. The Russian, although unevenly began his first season in the overseas league, but later began to perform more and more confidently, and by the end of the regular season he formed a solid goalkeeper tandem with Semyon Varlamov. He immediately played 22 matches in the regular season, and subsequently played seven meetings in the playoffs. Moreover, in the Stanley Cup, in terms of the percentage of reflected throws, he was not inferior to a more experienced compatriot (92.2%), although he missed a little more on average (2.79 - 2.56).
The Islanders probably understand that they have no reason to lose both a promising and a goalkeeper with solid experience, so they express their interest in signing a new contract.
Moreover, the club from New York is not trying by all means to conclude a long-term agreement, but is considering an option with the so-called bridge contract for three years.
According to Sport24, Sorokin will earn $ 12 million over this period.
The only question is what to do with playing practice, because in recent years Varlamov has gained excellent shape.
Yes, he turned 33 in April, but is still showing a very high level, and his contract with the Islanders is valid until the end of the 2022/23 season.
But if the Russian's agent Dan Milstein is to be believed, Sorokin is not afraid of competition with his compatriot.
“We are close to concluding a contract, there are several options for a future agreement.
Ilya is one of the most talented goalkeepers.
There was an option with an exchange, but he did not even want to consider it, as he definitely wanted to stay at the Islanders.
Ilya is happy with everything at this stage of his career, ”the goalkeeper's agent Dan Milstein told RBC in mid-August.
Anatoly Golyshev
Status:
Restricted Free Agent (RFA)
Previous club:
New York Islanders
Sorokin's teammate Anatoly Golyshev is also without a contract, however, he is unlikely to wait for such an advantageous offer.
The left-handed striker arrived in the Islanders from Avtomobilist in the spring, but did not manage to play a single match.
Nevertheless, the year of the contract was "burned".
There is reason to believe that Golyshev will still remain in the team.
At the end of July, he received a qualifying offer from the four-time Stanley Cup winner and he doesn't have much reason to refuse.
A hockey player without experience of playing in the NHL is unlikely to be of increased interest.
Especially in light of the fact that in Avtomobilist his performance was not exorbitant.
Last season, he scored 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 53 games.
Artyom Anisimov
Status:
Unlimited Free Agent (UFA)
Previous club:
Ottawa Senators
The fate of the center forward, who has played 771 times in the National Hockey League, remains unclear.
In the summer, Artyom Anisimov's contract with Ottawa expired, and the forward himself was hardly interested in continuing his career at the Senators.
In the last season, he rarely made it to the squad, and in one of the matches he was even declared as a reserve goalkeeper.
In total, he held only 19 meetings, in which he scored twice and assisted his partners seven more times.
Until now, it is not known about the possible place of the continuation of Anisimov's career.
There are rumors about his possible transfer to Detroit, which is indirectly confirmed by his photo from a joint training session with the Red Wings forwards Vladislav Namestnikov and Dylan Larkin.
Evgeny Svechnikov
Status:
Unlimited Free Agent (UFA)
Previous club:
Detroit Red Wings
If Anisimov can join the 11-time Stanley Cup winner, his compatriot, on the contrary, left the team.
Evgeny Svechnikov was selected in the 2015 draft and over the next five years tried to gain a foothold in Detroit, but constant injuries interfered.
As a result, during all this time, the elder brother of the Carolina striker played only 41 matches and scored 12 (5 + 7) points.
In the summer of 2021, Svechnikov Sr.'s contract with Detroit expired, and as expected, he did not wait for a qualifying offer.
The press service of the Red Wings farm club has already said goodbye to him, while hinting where he might be in the future.
Apparently, Winnipeg is ready to sign a trial contract with Eugene.
For a Russian, this may be the last chance to prove himself in the NHL.