Most of what Chris Drury said in July about defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov focused on the defensive side of the $49 million defense. The Rangers president and general manager wanted to get better in front of their strikers. He wanted improved coverage in high-risk areas. And Gavrikov, who signed a seven-year deal at the start of free agency that month to pair with Adam Fox, “had the qualities of a shutout.
But over the past eight months, another layer has begun to emerge in Gavrikov’s game. He has become a scoring option for the Blueshirts, something that was not possible in previous seasons for the Kings and Blue Jackets.
After scoring in his third straight game in Saturday’s loss to the Devils, Gavrikov now has 12 goals – breaking his previous career high of six – after recording just 11 the past two seasons combined.
He’ll have a chance to continue his career-long goal streak Monday against Philadelphia, but even if it ends, Gavrikov became just the third Blueshirts defenseman to have a three-game hitting streak in the last 10 seasons, according to the team.
He is also tied with Hy Buller, from the 1951-52 campaign, for the most goals by a defender in his first season on Broadway, too.
Those numbers were all unexpected for Gavrikov. But with uncertainty expected in the offseason after trade rumors involving Braden Schneider and cryptic comments from Fox about his desire to stay with the Blueshirts for their new tool, Gavrikov – given the time left on his contract and production in his first season – has emerged as one of the surest pieces the Rangers have on their blue line.
“From an offensive standpoint, I think he had a really good year,” head coach Mike Sullivan said Friday. “He’s everything we hoped for defensively when we signed him, but his offensive game, I think, is a welcome addition to our team – and we think he’s been good in that position.”
With Fox only playing in 35 games this season and missing overtime with a pair of stints on long-term injured reserve, and with Schneider also struggling this season, Gavrikov has become the anchor of the Rangers’ blue line for now, too. He leads all Blueshirts in ice time. His 25 points led all defensemen. He filled roles on both the penalty kill and power play units.
And, more recently, goals have followed. Less than a minute into the third period during the March 2 game, Gavrikov slipped past Fox across the blue line and turned toward the left goal – collecting the return pass and firing a shot into the Blue Jackets’ net. Then, against the Maple Leafs, Gavrikov put in a rebound. And to give the Blueshirts a temporary lead on Saturday, he took an extra step from the point and ripped a shot past Jacob Markstrom.
These are signs that teams want to restructure their roster needs. Those that contain the greens of hope, hold the view that internal building blocks exist beyond any external ones that have been discovered or written.
There’s Gabe Perreault, who has 11 points and is a starter. There’s Will Cuylle, in the midst of another productive season as a forward. There’s Noah Laba, the rookie center. Then there’s Gavrikov, who was established in the NHL until he became an asset last summer but is still in the early stages for the Rangers.
Fox’s absence has forced them to move around Gavrikov all season, but in the bigger picture, the long-term nature of their pairing has been damaged. When asked if he wants to stay with the Rangers through their retooling, Fox said that’s a conversation for the offseason.
When given the opportunity to clarify those words, he doubled down. Schneider’s name came up in rumors again, before the deadline. It’s unclear how much Drury is willing to move any of those pieces into the offseason with the Rangers sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference and committed to rebuilding the tool — on paper — after releasing Letter 2.0.
The Rangers know they’ll have Gavrikov, though. They will have someone who delivers what is expected to be a starting defenseman while adding unexpected offensive contributions. The next step involves making sure it’s not just one season. That the production is sustainable.
But for now, in a lost season for Rangers, it has certainly emerged as one of the bright spots.
