Former Devils, Senators Forwards Lead KHL Scoring Race

The KHL scoring race is currently dominated by former New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators players.

Feb 21, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New Jersey Devils left wing Nikita Gusev (97) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Washington Capitals in the third period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators are both impressing the NHL this season. The Metropolitan Division has quickly become one of the most exciting divisional races in the league, and that's largely due to the exciting teams these organizations possess.

While the NHL season is the Devils and Senators main concern, they each have reason to be keeping tabs on the professional leagues around the world. Specifically in Russia and the KHL, former Carolina and New Jersey players are standing out and leading their scoring race as their season reaches a halfway point.

Nikita Gusev was a one-hit wonder for the Devils back during the 2019-2020 campaign. He scored 13 goals and added 31 assists over 66 games with New Jersey and that would prove to be his only full season in the NHL.

Since returning to the KHL for the 2021-2022 season, he's been an elite scorer for both SKA St. Petersburg and currently with Dynamo Moskva. This season, he's one of the top point producers in Russia again, with 14 goals, 18 assists, and 32 points in his first 33 games. He's currently the third ranked scorer in all of the KHL.

Right in front of him is a former NHL journeyman and Ottawa Senators forward Stephane De Costa. The Paris, France native played in 47 NHL games over parts of four seasons with the Sens in the early 2010's before becoming a KHL mainstay during the 2014-2015 season.

This year, the 35-year-old De Costa is the best set-up man in the KHL. Over his first 31 games, he has just seven goals, but has 26 assists to go with that for 33 total points. Last year he scored 54 points all season, and looks like he will smash past those numbers in 2025.

It's always an interesting study to see how former and future NHL players perform in other professional leagues. Both Gusev and De Costa weren't great fits for multiple reasons with their NHL teams, but they've found incredible success in Russia and that should continue the rest of this season.

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