Rumor: Vegas looking to trade Nikita Gusev. Gusev asking for $4m per year.

[ManofSteel55]

Then why did he leave?

Exploring his options?

 

[Zine]

This is what no one seems to care about when they dish the same tired Vadim sob story as a vehicle to trash Vegas.

At the kind of money he was poised to get the guy should have been the first guy on the ice every day and the last guy off it doing whatever he could to make sure he earned his place. Instead because he wasn't on the top line on the first day of training camp like he though he was going to be, he stopped listening to the coaches, he half assed everything, threw a tantrum when he got sent to the AHL by first also refusing to listen to the coach in Chicago, then outright refusing to show up to practice, until both sides had enough and he went back to Russia.

What entitlement does any player really deserve? People seem to think that when players sign an NHL contract that all they're signing is a piece of paper with terms on how the team is going to make the player's life wonderful. That's not what it is at all.

A player signs away his talents for an agreed upon salary in exchange for agreeing to a team's terms. Terms like: show up to practice, listen to and execute a coach's demands, if the team requires you to make a media appearance you do it, if the team schedules community work and you are told to attend you be there, don't get **** faced and get into bar fights, etc. Being an NHL player is a job, a dream job, but one where you are still subject to those who have authority over you.

I guarantee anyone still weeping for poor Vadim that there isn't a single contract in the NHL that says that if you don't get the ice time and role you want that you can just **** off and do whatever you want and not show up to practice or listen to what the team tells you to do.

Saying Vadim was mistreated is like saying an employee getting fired for taking three hour breaks to play angry birds and flirt with baristas at Starbucks cause they didn't get a promotion was mistreated. The fake sympathy for the guy is beyond ridiculous at this point.

Edit: and yes it was a dumb contract but you need to remember that at the time, they didn't really expect to have the kind of success they did which resulted in being able to sign guys like Stone to massive contracts. At the time they figured they'd be flush with cap space for a good long time.

I’d agree with you if Vegas told Shipachyov he needed to ‘earn his spot’ from the onset, but that’s not what happened. To get him to sign they wined and dined him with talk of prime ice time and responsibility.

And here we have the crux of the issue. In Russia it’s common to take people at their word during negotiations. In North America it doesn't matter what someone verbally promises, if it’s not in the contract - tough luck.

Both sides are at fault; Shipachyov (or his agent) for total naivety to how things work in the NHL, and Vegas for their duplicity and underhandedness.

 

[CupInSIX]

What? Do you not understand what a precedent is?

What exactly are you having difficulty understanding?

 

[Blackjack]

Shipachyov was a UFA. Are you saying this because you truly believe it, or because you're getting salty hoping the Devils can trade peanuts for Gusev and sign him with all that excess cap space?

Teams should give up the conditional picks. We already have a precedent for points-based conditions with the James Neal trade. You want Gusev? Be mad at Shero for doing what he ought to do to load up NJ and convince Hall to stay.

Otherwise, it should be hardball just like with every other RFA.

Only Gusev isn't like other RFAs, he's 27 years old and has a long track record of success in the KHL.

It's unlikely that Shero would have the top offer for Gusev, even if the price was a 2nd rounder rather than a 1st, since NJ doesn't have it's second round pick in 2020. I assume he would go to Montreal or Colorado or some place with some cap space and assets.

 

[CupInSIX]

Yuri Nikolaev, who represents the restricted free agent, said he’s aware the Golden Knights have received trade offers for Gusev, but noted the 27-year-old would prefer to re-sign in Vegas.

https://www.tsn.ca/agent-vegas-golden-knights-f-nikita-gusev-could-look-into-khl-return-1.1340494

I think he'll do the right thing and sign with VGK. His agent is doing his best to use the KHL bluff, but 2m is very fair when you consider how that monster took advantage of Labanc.

 

[CupsOverCash]

https://www.tsn.ca/agent-vegas-golden-knights-f-nikita-gusev-could-look-into-khl-return-1.1340494

I think he'll do the right thing and sign with VGK. His agent is doing his best to use the KHL bluff, but 2m is very fair when you consider how that monster took advantage of Labanc.

I feel like if he went back he would just be delaying his NHL career which could boom pretty quickly if he comes over and gives it a shot. He should have done this already with TB, he would likely have a large contract by now if he had already proved he could play like his hype says he can.

 

[gwh]

GMGM continues being the epic shyster with these deals.

1m aftertax/escrow is chump change for SKA. He gone.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

What exactly are you having difficulty understanding?

That trade included a conditional 3rd round pick if one player scored a certain amount of goals more than the other. What the hell kind of precedent does that set for a Gusev trade?

https://www.tsn.ca/agent-vegas-golden-knights-f-nikita-gusev-could-look-into-khl-return-1.1340494

I think he'll do the right thing and sign with VGK. His agent is doing his best to use the KHL bluff, but 2m is very fair when you consider how that monster took advantage of Labanc.

$2M isn't even remotely fair. Shipachov got $4.5M and Panarin got $3.5M without ever playing an NHL game, and Gusev's track record is roughly comparable to those players, and the cap has risen since they signed their contracts.

Labanc was drafted by the Sharks and has spent half of a decade in their organization. He took a discount because he trusts the team and wants to provide them with the best chance to win, while his mentor Joe Thornton is still in the NHL. Gusev, on the other hand, is a complete outsider and his biggest memory with Vegas is watching the aforementioned Labanc score 4 points on one power play from the press box. Once again, no precedent. And the Labanc deal is an outlier and not a precedent for anybody anyways.

 

[theslatcher]

That trade included a conditional 3rd round pick if one player scored a certain amount of goals more than the other. What the hell kind of precedent does that set for a Gusev trade?



$2M isn't even remotely fair. Shipachov got $4.5M and Panarin got $3M without ever playing an NHL game, and Gusev's track record is roughly comparable to those players, and the cap has risen since they signed their contracts.

Labanc was drafted by the Sharks and has spent half of a decade in their organization. He took a discount because he trusts the team and wants to provide them with the best chance to win, while his mentor Joe Thornton is still in the NHL. Gusev, on the other hand, is a complete outsider and his biggest memory with Vegas is watching the aforementioned Labanc score 4 points on one power play from the press box. Once again, no precedent. And the Labanc deal is an outlier and not a precedent for anybody anyways.

You do realize Panarin signed and played on an ELC, right?

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

You do realize Panarin signed and played on an ELC, right?

See the AAV:

 

[HanSolo]

I’d agree with you if Vegas told Shipachyov he needed to ‘earn his spot’ from the onset, but that’s not what happened. To get him to sign they wined and dined him with talk of prime ice time and responsibility.

And here we have the crux of the issue. In Russia it’s common to take people at their word during negotiations. In North America it doesn't matter what someone verbally promises, if it’s not in the contract - tough luck.

Both sides are at fault; Shipachyov (or his agent) for total naivety to how things work in the NHL, and Vegas for their duplicity and underhandedness.

Duplicity and underhandedness in doing the same shit every nhl team does with every free agent that gets more than 3 million on his contract? I seriously doubt they said "we're gonna tell the coach to staple you to the first line regardless of how well or poorly you play and you don't have to listen to him if you don't want to" or anything even remotely within that ballpark by implication.

What you're ignoring is that Vegas signed Ship in early May. Months before the other 30 teams' protection lists were due. McPhee likely reasonably believed that the kind of roster he'd get would be an uncompetitive but hopefully reasonably based on good potential for a quick build to competitiveness, and as such there'd be plenty of room for a KHL star with little competition.

McPhee is smarter than many give him credit for but there's no way he could have possibly anticipated that Florida would trade him Rielly Smith to take Johnathan Marchessault or that William Karlsson would go from depth scorer to bona fide first liner, or that he'd have a good second line in Neal, Haula, Perron right out of the gate. It's not unreasonable at the time of the contact's signing, that Vegas told Ship that we would have the top 6 opportunity in the NHL he wanted because McPhee and his team very likely believed that he wouldn't have much competition in the top 6. Even if McPhee had the expansion protected lists when he signed Ship, the best center he had available to him on reasonable belief was Erik Haula. Or actually more accurately, Cody Eakin since Eakin's best pre Vegas season total of 40 points was higher than Haula's 34.

And sure. Even after the draft and through training camp, Vegas' center depth still looked pretty pedestrian but the overall roster looked much better than I'm sure they were expecting, and Ship on arrival wasnt listening to instructions. And it's not like he didn't get his chance in the top 6. In Ship's only games played for Vegas in the preseason he got starts as the first and second line center, so his insubordination at camp didn't come from not getting what was promised in the preseason, and his insubordination in the AHL came from Vegas being stuck with too many one way contracts on the roster.

Shipachyov MUST have been told before signing the contract that Vegas may end up sending him down temporarily because they'd have an influx of one way contracts to move after the expansion draft. No one ever confirmed that he was told but why else would a veteran professional hockey player agree to signing a contract with a two way clause? Have you ever heard of an NHL contract over 4 million with a two way clause? Either Ship was informed of the contingency two way clause and agreed or his agent is a moron.

That was definitely a contingency to allow for roster housekeeping after the expansion draft. And yet despite almost certainly being told this when he signed the deal and after definitely being told this and having the information released to the media when he was sent down at the end of the preseason, he still acted like an entitled diva in Chicago, didn't listen to the coaches in the short time he actually showed up to practice and then stopped showing up altogether (and if my memory serves right I think he flew back to Vegas without being formally called up). Vegas made it clear to the media and, by extension Ship himself, that Ship, Theodore, and Tuch's demotions to the AHL were not permanent and moves would be made to make room for them. He just didn't have the patience cause he didn't like being sent down even though the possibility of that happening was more than adequately communicated to him. If he didn't know that could happen, he and his agent didn't do their diligence in the course of business in properly reading a contract before agreeing to it. I fail to see how that's Vegas' fault.

 

[theslatcher]

See the AAV:

View attachment 245973

The performance bonuses might have something to do with that, you know.

 

[shtorm2005]

Hopefully he doesn't get frustrated and just leave for KHL but Vegas needs to trade his rights in next couple of weeks.

I think, his rights worth zero if leaves to KHL, and if they trade his rights before, then he just will play for new NHL team.

 

[Nolan11]

Gusev's rights + Curtis McKenzie (0.75M) + Clarkson's LTIR 5.25M for Melker Karlson (2.0 M)

Saves Vegas 4M in cap space

 

[themelkman]

Gusev's rights + Curtis McKenzie (0.75M) + Clarkson's LTIR 5.25M for Melker Karlson (2.0 M)

Saves Vegas 4M in cap space

I’d rather give up the second than take on that terrible clarkson LTIR hit.

 

[Nolan11]

I’d rather give up the second than take on that terrible clarkson LTIR hit.

Who wouldn't? We have got to look at the perspective of the other team to make a deal work. They need to clear 3.5 M of cap space before the season opener. This would do that for them (and M. Karlsson is more reliable 4th liner than McKenzie, especially on PK, so it even makes them marginally better). We would have to wait until the season starts to sign Gusev but would have just enough cap to sign Marleau and Thornton on the cheap. So it works well enough to meet both team's needs...

 

[themelkman]

Who wouldn't? We have got to look at the perspective of the other team to make a deal work. They need to clear 3.5 M of cap space before the season opener. This would do that for them (and M. Karlsson is more reliable 4th liner than McKenzie, especially on PK, so it even makes them marginally better). We would have to wait until the season starts to sign Gusev but would have just enough cap to sign Marleau and Thornton on the cheap. So it works well enough to meet both team's needs...

I think Gusev has made it clear he wants to be signed now, for the money he wants. Otherwise he’s just sticking in the K

 

[greasysnapper]

Gusev has been the best player outside the NHL for the last 2-3 seasons. He dominates at the Worlds against NHL calibre competition. 4m is not an unreasonable demand and there would be teams out there that would be happy to pay that if Vegas were to trade him. Vegas can't sign him for any amount since they have 0 cap room. If I were him I'd just sign a 1 year deal in KHL and then be a UFA in the NHL next off-season since'd he'd be 27 come July 1.

Enough with this hyperbole. Not only was it not on nhl ice, the Worlds have dwindled in level of play even faster than the KHL. Most of his games were against teams with hardly any nhl talents, including in goal.

 

[Norman Moscow]

It looks like Gusev is heading to KHL.
The 4 mil in NA after taxes is roughly the same like the 2 mil in Russia after taxes, that's why he is looking for such contract.
And from russian media all UFAs will avoid VGK for goodness sake.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

It is a pretty easy equation for Gusev. Go make the same money at home in a place he's totally familiar with and comfortable... or ... wait and let Vegas dick him around while they have other priorities. He's going to go back to the KHL. Vegas can do what they want with that... retroactively bemoan things if he ultimately pans out, or shrug and give no sh**s, whichever. It's no skin off Gusev's nose either way... he signed at the end of last season to gain precisely this leverage.

 

[themelkman]

It looks like Gusev is heading to KHL.
The 4 mil in NA after taxes is roughly the same like the 2 mil in Russia after taxes, that's why he is looking for such contract.
And from russian media all UFAs will avoid VGK for goodness sake.

Vegas would be stupid to let him go back and not trade him, but who knows.

 

[Nolan11]

I think Gusev has made it clear he wants to be signed now, for the money he wants. Otherwise he’s just sticking in the K

Gusev agreeing to a contract with us with the condition of signing it only after the season starts would be necessary for any trade scenario at this point. If he wants to play in the NHL and that is his ticket in, he can wait until October to sign. (He'd have to play catch up after missing camp, but whatever).

Vegas needs to do something at least somewhat painful to get under the cap. Packaging Gusev with Clarkson for cap relief is but an option. The other options I can envision all end up making their on ice team weaker.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

Gusev agreeing to a contract with us with the condition of signing it only after the season starts would be necessary for any trade scenario at this point. If he wants to play in the NHL and that is his ticket in, he can wait until October to sign. (He'd have to play catch up after missing camp, but whatever).

Vegas needs to do something at least somewhat painful to get under the cap. Packaging Gusev with Clarkson for cap relief is but an option. The other options I can envision all end up making their on ice team weaker.

Wait, why does October matter?

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Wait, why does October matter?

Indeed, the only thing that matters is Gusev's own deadline. KHL camps have already opened. He's not going to wait until October. I doubt he waits more than another week or two.

 

[Nolan11]

Wait, why does October matter?

Too lazy to look up season opener. September