Yes, after a summer-long pursuit of the Russian stud, the Vegas Golden Knights eventually admitted defeat and gave up the chase, trading Gusev to the New Jersey Devils for a third round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and a second round selection in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
And it didn’t take long for the Devils, who look primed to make a big impression in 2019-20 after loading up on weapons this offseason, to lock Gusev down to a two-year, $9 million contract and rub further salt into the wounds of Vegas fans.
As expected, the news didn’t go down too well among Golden Knights fans who have been longing for a Nikita Gusev contract announcement all summer.