In what has rapidly become an offseason saga, there is still no concrete news on whether or not Nikita Gusev will return to the Vegas Golden Knights for 2019-20. Statistics of Nikita Gusev, a hockey player from Moscow, Russia born Jul 8 1992 who was active from 2010 to 2020. As far as the prime of hockey careers go, Gusev might be passing his by soon. (Photo by RvS.Media/Robert Hradil/Getty Images)After locking down star center William Karlsson to a new long-term deal, replenishing their farm system with a slew of intriguing prospects and bringing back a number of role players, the Vegas Golden Knights are having a productive summer.However, their work isn’t done yet and they face one of their most complicated situations of the offseason when it comes to deciding what to do with Nikita Gusev.Vegas, who are still navigating the stormy seas of the salary cap, are reportedly only willing or able to offer a two-year deal with an average annual value of $2 million.It is a tough spot for the Knights to find themselves in with the front office deserving praise for the way they’ve clawed their way out of salary cap hell, with moves still to be made.However, it seems that the overall narrative of this offseason will be dictated by what eventually happens with Gusev.Still to thrash out a new contract for veteran leader Deryk Engelland and stud defenseman Jimmy Schuldt, coupled with the need to either shed David Clarkson’s $5,250,000 contract or placing it on the long-term injured reserve list, the Golden Knights are hamstrung as they continue to try and squeeze under the $81.5 million salary cap for 2019-20.Even if they do manage to move Clarkson’s heft salary, the Knights won’t have much wriggle room to conduct any other business given that they are still projected to have a cap hit of $85,024,999 for next year.All in all, it doesn’t paint a pretty picture when it comes to evaluating if Gusev has a long-term future in Sin City.Vegas fans seem to be all in when it comes to keeping the forward and you can’t blame them if you look at his numbers.One of the most potent and productive scorers in the KHL, Gusev has racked up 147 goals and 253 assists for 400 points in 458 games, averaging 0.873 points per game That last stat in particular is impressive given that Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers forward Evgenii Dadonov both have a lesser points per game average than Gusev.Dadonov is an interesting comparison in itself given that the 30-year-old has an annual cap hit of $400,000 with the Panthers. Looking back at his isolated impact chart for the defensive zone, it looks like he did not know how to play defense in the NHL, staying to one small spot on the ice. News If he were to start soon, both sides would be operating on the at-times rocky first season that Gusev played, and the solid but not amazing point-scoring rate of 0.67 per game. The Russian team won the game 3-2 in penalty shootout.

He has accumulated 135 points during his first two years in Florida but, looking at his body of work in Russia prior to his move to the NHL, you can understand why Gusev and his camp would be looking for a similar salary.Getting back to Gusev, though, and there is no denying the left wing’s body of work both in the KHL and on the international stage.He’s a four-time All-Star in the KHL, he led the league in points (81) and assists (64) in 2018-19, feats he also achieved in 2017-18.In addition to the above, Gusev also has two World Championship Bronze Medals and an Olympic Gold Medal, in addition to a slew of other hardware and honors.The one caveat to all of the above is that the vast majority of that success was achieved on bigger ice pads, and it is nearly impossible to predict whether or not Gusev could replicate those feats in the NHL, even if you try and compare it to other KHL players who have trodden a similar path to the majors in America.However, the counter to that argument can be based on what Gusev showed he was capable of when playing alongside elite NHL stars at the IIHF World Championships.Forging a deadly and unstoppable combination with Tampa Bay Lightning stud Nikita Kucherov, Gusev finished the tournament tied second for most points along with his fellow countryman behind Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander.Gusev was at the very peak of his powers in Slovakia and he showcased his talents in the big moments on the big stage.He’s worked hard for his shot at the big time in the NHL and, if he can translate his style of play to the American stage, then there is no doubt that Gusev will be a formidable force in the best league in the world.BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA – MAY 26, 2019: Russia’s Nikita Gusev (L) and Nikita Kucherov after their victory in the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Bronze medal match against the Czech Republic at Ondrej Nepela Arena. By now, most of the hockey world knows Nikita Gusev, the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) stand-out who has officially signed a contract with the Vegas Golden Knights. Ticketmaster So, what needs to be done?Well, the Golden Knights have got some breathing room now when it comes to the cap and, if they are determined to have Gusev on their roster next year, they will need to look to trade one of As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t think Reaves will be traded given how highly thought of he is by Head Coach BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA – MAY 21: #97 Nikita Gusev of Russia reacts during the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Slovakia group game between Sweden and Russia at Ondrej Nepela Arena on May 21, 2019 in Bratislava, Slovakia.