Thursday, April 11, 2019 | 8:53 a.m.
The Golden Knights could be getting some major reinforcements.
Vegas is on the verge of signing star Russian winger Nikita Gusev, according to Igor Eronko of Sport-Express. The Golden Knights own Gusev’s rights, and if he signs, he would eligible to play in postseason games by virtue of being on Vegas’ reserve list.
The team has yet to confirm the transaction. His contract with Russian team SKA Saint Petersburg, whose season is over, runs through the end of April. Gusev’s representatives are working on his release, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.
The 26-year-old Gusev led the Kontinental Hockey League, generally considered the second-best league in the world, in scoring with 82 points in 62 games. That is the second-most points in a single season in KHL history. This season’s second-place scorer had 69 points.
The Golden Knights acquired Gusev’s rights from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the expansion draft in exchange for selecting Jason Garrison. He was originally drafted by Tampa Bay in the seventh round, 202nd overall, in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He has yet to play stateside in his career.
Because of Gusev’s age, he would be required to sign a one-year, entry-level contract and become a restricted free agent this summer.
Gusev won an Olympic gold medal with the Olympic Athletes from Russia at the Pyeoongchang games in 2018. The year before, he helped Russia to a bronze medal at the World Championships as well as SKA Saint Petersburg to the KHL’s Gagarin Cup as league champions.
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