Gusev arrived in North America in 2019 with plenty of hype thanks to his godly KHL production, but his play in the NHL has clearly not lived up to expectations. His statistical profile in the NHL thus far (as illustrated by JFreshHockey) paints the picture of a one-dimensional playmaker who can’t finish his chances or offer any sort of value defensively:
Nikita Gusev, signed to PTO by TOR, is a one-dimensional offensive playmaking winger whose combination of horrible defensive play and non-existent finishing doomed his career with the Devils. #leafs pic.