Nikita Gusev is heading back to SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL, the league announced Tuesday.

The 29-year-old was recently released from his professional tryout with the Toronto Maple Leafs after recording a pair of assists in three preseason games.

Gusev arrived in the NHL with plenty of hype. He lived up to it in his first campaign, tallying 44 points in 66 games with the New Jersey Devils in 2019-20.

Things took a turn for the worst last season, though, as he only managed four goals and six assists in 31 contests split between the Devils and the Florida Panthers while posting poor underlying metrics.

Gusev was one of the KHL's most electric players before he headed to North America, racking up 82 points in 62 games in 2018-19 with SKA St. Petersburg.

He also led the Olympic Athletes of Russia to a gold medal at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, pacing the team with 12 points in six contests.

Gusev was originally a seventh-round pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2012.

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