Habs to reject Gusev trade for pathetic reason!

Ever since Jesse Granger of The Athletic has reported that the Vegas Golden Knights are consider trading forward Nikita Gusev, fans across the league have kept an eye on where the Russian sensation will end up for the start of the 2019-20 season.

The Montreal Canadiens are believed to be in the mix to acquire the services of the Russian star. They have another shot at making a big splash in this free-agency period after offer-sheeting Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes. 

The Habs had different needs to fulfill this summer, and after signing backup goalie Keith Kinkaid and inking left-shot defenseman Ben Chariot on Thursday, it seems like the right time to focus on getting a major boost up front. The Canadiens have $11 million in salary and 12 draft picks to make it happen, however, the website Dans les Coulisses from Montreal believes GM Marc Bergevin might step out of the Gusev sweepstakes… 

It has been pointed out by DLC - and Montreal radio host Martin McGuire - that the Habs haven’t been thrilled about keeping Russian players a shot. 

McGuire explained how the Canadiens have just selected Russian blue liner Alexander Romanov last year and DLC says apart from him, there’s been just Arsen Khisamutdinov, who was picked in the sixth round this past June… 

“It isn’t a question of nationality - it’s just a fact from reality,” concluded McGuire on the air. 

That sounds like a pretty ridiculous reason from rejecting a trade for a talented player like Gusev. He led the KHL in points in 2018-19 with 17 goals and 82 points in 62 games with SKA St. Petersburg before joining Vegas. He has drawn comparisons to Artemi Panarin and could be a deadly weapon in Montreal…

Let’s not forget that the Habs have had luck in the past with Russian wingers, including Alex Kovalev and Alex Radulov and Romanov is a gem they picked up for the future. 

The Canadiens need to revisit this great option and make the right call.