There were a number of former San Jose Sharks who didn’t receive a qualifying offer from their new teams ahead of Monday’s deadline. The last name to trickle through the pipeline was former Sharks prospect Daniil Gushchin who was traded to the Colorado Avalanche last summer.
Gushchin was unable to crack the Avalanche’s roster and spent another season at the American Hockey League level, this time with the Colorado Eagles. In 49 games with the Eagles, the Russian winger scored 18 goals, a career-low, and 32 points. He also failed to record a point in three playoff games.
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As free agency approaches, the Avalanche opted not to retain his rights by not tendering Gushchin a qualifying offer. As a result, the 24-year-old forward will become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.
Despite being undersized and having a poor season in Colorado, Gushchin does have the potential to provide depth scoring at the NHL level if he can find a way to get back on track. With that being said, it’s far from a guarantee that he reaches that potential.
Heading into the summer, it’ll be interesting to see if Gushchin can find a new team to give him an opportunity in North America or if he opts to head back to his native Russia.
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