russian striker Nikita Gusev in an interview with , he explained why he failed in National Hockey League (NHL).
Last season, Gusev played 47 games for SKA St. Petersburg in the regular season and KHL playoffs, scored 51 points (17 goals and 34 assists). The forward, who turned 30 in July, is an unrestricted free agent. The Russian played in the NHL in 2019-21 with the New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers.
– How to choose the right NHL club to play there?
You can be wrong at any time. You can sign a contract thinking that everything will be perfect there. And then everything changes in one day. Only time will tell if you made a mistake or not, Gusev told .
– Did your friend Nikita Kucherov give valuable advice before going to the NHL?
There were some interesting tips, but I won’t tell anyone. Everyone has to get there on their own in time. Words are one thing, and another is the experience you get yourself. And that experience is important, because it’s a completely different kind of hockey.
— Can you explain what went wrong for you in the NHL?
– Yes, everything is simple – came the coach who does not like my way of playing. You can perform well or poorly, but if the coach doesn’t see you in the team or doesn’t think it necessary to see you, then nothing can be done about it. You should just work, that’s what I did. How many minutes have I been granted, so much I have tried to train.
And when he moved to Florida, the playoffs were already close there. I was allowed to play five or six matches, then they were already preparing for the cup matches – basically, without me. Because they played all season without me.
Lindy Ruff, new coach of New Jersey, he reproached you for your defensive work?
– What can I say ? An opponent enters your area, throws from the blue line and scores a goal – what can I do here? I understand that I am not the best defensive player. But they don’t put me in the minority either. If they did, I would upgrade that skill. But when they give you eight or nine minutes and score, then there’s just not enough time to win back and your link would score a return goal.
Have the NHL coaches spoken to you or is it customary to ignore you there?
– They talk there, but more about tactics, which should be where. They happened to call me one-on-one, show me my shifts. Discussed why and how I performed in the episodes. There was always a dialogue, not once in two years that the coach showed me that I was playing badly in defense and that I had to improve. If there were such times, then not so often. And the NHL understands that anyone can make mistakes.
Source : MatchTV
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