One of the New York Rangers‘ top objectives of the off-season was to add a steady defensive defenseman for the left side of their top pairing. In the end, it is fair to say that they did just that, as they signed top unrestricted free agent (UFA) blueliner Vladislav Gavrikov to a seven-year, $49 million contract.
With this Gavrikov signing, the Rangers have certainly improved their blueline, and they have now gotten some praise because of it.
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Adam Gretz ranked the Rangers signing Gavrikov as the fourth-best move made in the entire NHL this off-season.
The only moves that Gretz argued were better than the Rangers bringing in Gavrikov were the Carolina Hurricanes signing Nikolaj Ehlers, the Vegas Golden Knights acquiring and then signing Mitch Marner, and the Montreal Canadiens acquiring Noah Dobson.
Given how solid of a defenseman Gavrikov is, it makes sense that Gretz sees the Rangers signing him as one of the top NHL moves of the summer. The 29-year-old’s strong defensive play and ability to produce decent offense from the point could make him a real home run of an addition for the Blueshirts.
In 82 games this past season with the Los Angeles Kings, Gavrikov recorded five goals, 25 assists, 30 points, 140 blocks, and a plus-26 rating.
Rangers Have Interesting PTO Target To Consider
