Who knew a Vegas Golden Knights prospect would win an Olympic Gold Medal?
Way back in June, the Vegas Golden Knights held their expansion draft at the NHL Awards. The expansion franchise picked one player from each NHL club, but they also acquired draft picks and other players for essentially making promises they wouldn’t select a specific player at the draft. Key players such as Shea Theodore, Alex Tuch, Reilly Smith moved to Vegas in these deals.
Those trades have paid off in a big way for the Golden Knights. A future top pairing defenseman, a future top-six forward and one of the most balanced players in the league. However, Vegas received another lesser known player in the expansion draft in Nikita Gusev.
The Tampa Bay Lightning traded their second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Pittsburgh’s fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and Gusev in exchange for selecting Jason Garrison. This deal was just one of the many great deals Vegas made during their busy offseason. But who is Gusev and what does he bring to the table?
Gusev is a skilled offensive talent and loves to dish out the puck. His speed and quickness make him a very dynamic player. The former seventh-round pick in the 2012 NHL entry draft is living up to way past his hype.
This season with the KHL’s St. Petersburg SKA, the Moscow Russia native has notched 22 goals, 40 assists and 62 points in 53 games played. But that’s not all; the 25-year old was granted the opportunity to join the Olympic Athletes from Russia team. To say he didn’t disappoint is a big understatement.
His squad made it all the way to the gold medal game against underdog Germany. The Olympic Athletes from Russia were heavy favorites in the matchup, but Germany gave them all they can handle and then some. The game was by far the best game of Mens Ice Hockey at the Winter Olympics.
With under a minute to go, Gusev tied the game with the goaltender pulled that sent the Russian faithful into a frenzy. Gusev then set up the golden goal by Kirill Kaprizov to clinch the gold medal crown. He finished the contest tallying two goals and an assist in the victory.
Nikita Gusev ties it with under a minute remaining. What. a. game. #OARvsGER #PyeongChang2018 pic.twitter.com/pJmLpbDdbi
— Shayne Pasquino (@shaynepasquino) February 25, 2018
Not only was he the best player on the ice that night, but he was the best forward in the entire tournament. The young upstart registered four goals and eight assists in just six matches at the 2018 Winter Olympics. But who knows if he’ll even show up in a Golden Knights uniform in the future.
KIRILL KAPRIZOV SCOOOOOOOOOOOORES! @russiahockey WINS THE #GOLD! pic.twitter.com/ibuTihFyC6
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) February 25, 2018
The reason why I say that is because Gusev signed a two-year extension with the KHL’s SKA Saint Petersburg. By then, who knows if general manager George McPhee will be interested in retaining his rights and signing him to a contract. Because we all know how the Vadim Shipachyov situation ended and that remains one of the ugliest stories of the year.
Next: Vegas Golden Knights Acquire Ryan Reaves
Overall, if the Vegas Golden Knights do end up signing Nikita Gusev, the fans will be in for a treat. This kid is so thrilling to watch, and I’d love to see him wear a Golden Knights uniform in a few years. Thanks to his Olympic performance, the whole world now knows how great of a talent Gusev is.