https://theathletic.com/1264641/2019/10/04/a-star-is-born-devils-mystery-man-nikita-gusev-through-the-eyes-of-his-peers/
“I don’t know how much fans will watch the world championships but ‘Goose’ was playing with (Nikita) Kucherov, who is one of his best buddies, and I mean, their offensive IQ is very close to the same,” Moses said. “He’s at that level. Am I saying that he’s going to be Kucherov? No, but I’m also saying that he’s not far off. I wouldn’t be shocked if he was scoring 100 points in the NHL. He’s that that good of a player.”
Gusev has unofficially held the title of “best player in the world not in the NHL” after dominating the KHL the past few seasons.
Gusev’s numbers in the KHL are staggering, especially when compared to the other NHL stars who have played in the league recently. He led the KHL in scoring last season with 82 points in 62 games, giving him 215 points in 173 games over the past three.
A really high IQ, like an incredible passer and just really, really high-end skill. He’s not quite … as explosive maybe as Panarin, but he’s thinking the game incredibly well. As good of a player on the power play as I’ve seen in this league, and I’ve been here a long time with (Ilya) Kovalchuk and (Pavel) Datsyuk and (Alex) Radulov and Panarin. He’s as good, if not better, than any of those guys on the power play. It’s pretty special.