The Nikita Gusev saga with the Golden Knights came to an end Monday with the Vegas Golden Knights dealing the Russian star winger to the New Jersey Devils for a third-round pick in 2020 and a second-round pick in 2021.



At first glance, the return appears low for a player coming off the second-best season in KHL history. Gusev has yet to play a single NHL game at the age of 27, so he’s no sure thing, but the Devils appear to have gotten great value for a player who could be an instant addition to their top-six forwards.



“There is risk in every trade that you make,” president of hockey operations George McPhee said. “There’s risk (for us) if he’s better than the player we anticipated, and for New Jersey, will he be as good as they anticipate? No one knows.”



There were many external factors that lowered Gusev’s value and forced McPhee to deal Gusev for less-than-market value to the second team that made a...