McPhee On Gusev: "That's At Least A Year Away."

When the Golden Knights acquired the rights to winger Nikita Gusev from the Tampa Bay Lightning, it was one of Vegas' most interesting Expansion Draft maneuvers.
After all, while the former seventh-round pick who's never played in the NHL was a bit of an afterthought for his former club, he represented a low-risk gamble for Vegas to acquire elite scoring.
Since being drafted late in the 2012 Draft by Tampa Bay, Gusev blossomed into a bona fide scoring star in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League. His 71 points this season (24g, 47a) were fourth in that entire league - considered the second best league in the world - and only seven fewer than teammate Ilya Kovalchuk, for a comparable.
Adding to the intrigue was that Gusev found most of this offense flanking a line centered by Vadim Shipachyov, who the Golden Knights already lured out of the KHL and signed to a two-year contract earlier this spring.

When McPhee acquired Gusev's rights (while also selecting defenseman Jason Garrison) from the Lightning last week, it seemed as if it was with the purpose of reuniting Gusev and Shipachyov in Vegas this season.
Speaking to media on Saturday, however, McPhee said that we shouldn't expect the 24-year-old forward to wear a Golden Knights uniform this season.

"That's at least a year away," McPhee said. "We knew that when we traded for him, it might be a year away. But he came in for a little bit here and hope that he liked what he saw. We'll talk to him next spring."
Gusev is currently under contract to SKA Saint Petersburg, who he (and Shipachyov) helped lead to a Gagarin Cup championship in March.