Nikita Gusev Still Without a Club Three Months On

Nikita Gusev remains without a club three months after his contract with Dynamo Moscow expired, and two figures from the KHL past have weighed in on what happens next.

The 34-year-old forward's deal with Dynamo ran out on 31 May, after three seasons in Moscow. He is currently an unrestricted free agent, and the new Fonbet KHL Championship season has kicked off without him.

Former defenceman Nikita Shchitov called it a blow for the league. "For the KHL it is a big loss. Nikita is a master. Maybe he wants a rest from hockey, to take a short break," he said, adding there is no sense talking about retirement given Gusev's physical condition and the way he still plays. "It all depends on Gusev, whether he wants to play. You cannot look inside a person," Shchitov said.

Talk had circulated that Dynamo should bring Gusev back. Former coach Dmitri Ryabykin said that question looks settled already. "Judging by the press and by statements from Dynamo, the matter with Gusev is closed. Only the season will show whether that was the right call. I would not want to guess, especially in the press," he said.

Ryabykin was more direct on the free agent's calculation. "As I understand it, Nikita is waiting for the big clubs from the big cities. There is a chance one of those clubs stumbles, and the tactic will pay off," he said. He also cautioned that older players tend to settle into a season more slowly than the young, noting that not every veteran arrives the way Vadim Shipachev did at Salavat Yulaev, scoring and setting up goals from his first matches "against the laws of physics." Salavat Yulaev, founded in 1961 and based at the 8,522-capacity Ufa-Arena, sit top of the table through two rounds this season.

If no leading club runs into trouble, Gusev's wait could stretch on, and Ryabykin's alternative — dropping his contract demands — may become the more realistic route back onto the ice.