Devils place Gusev on waivers for contract termination

New Jersey Devils left wing Nikita Gusev (97) skates with the puck during the first period against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Devils place Nikita Gusev on waivers for contract termination

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 4/9/21

The New Jersey Devils have placed Nikita Gusev on waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract, according to SportsNet's Elliotte Friedman.

Gusev went unclaimed on waivers on April 1 and the Devils have been unable to trade him due to his $4.5 million cap hit.

Nikita Gusev on unconditional waivers for purposes of termination. Has not played since March 20, as young players take over in NJ. Was on waivers 9 days ago, but hit of $4.5M made it untradeable, unfortunately. This creates possibility of signing elsewhere at a lower number.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) April 9, 2021

Once he clears waivers, Gusev will be eligible to sign with a new team and could be a cheap option ahead of Monday's trade deadline.

The 28-year-old joined the Devils from the KHL with plenty of hype ahead of the 2019-20 season. In his first NHL season, he notched 44 points (13 goals, 31 assists) in 66 games.

Gusev has struggled this season, though, tallying just five points (two goals, three assists) in 20 games.

It's unclear which teams might be interested in signing the Moscow native.

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