As we get closer to the start of NHL free agency we are starting to hear more about top free agents, where they could sign, and how much money it could cost for interested teams to sign them. The New York Rangers have already been linked to one such player, and the latest report from one insider has the team landing a top free agent defenseman on an "expensive" contract.
The Rangers have been linked to Vladislav Gavrikov for awhile, and we previously learned that the team would be a top contender to sign him if he were to leave Los Angeles. In the last few days we heard from Elliotte Friedman that teams are expecting Gavrikov to join the Rangers.
Sounds like LD Vladislav Gavrikov is going sign with #NYR pic.twitter.com/ZChVFfgSPL
— David 🏒 (@DaveyUpper) June 23, 2025
The most recent update, however, comes from Frank Seravalli on Daily Faceoff's The DFO Rundown show. On the latest episode Gavrikov came up and Seravalli was asked where he could end up,
"The Rangers. Talk about a team that needs to defend. He's (Gavrikov) apparently going to be a pretty choosy guy. I wouldn't be surprised to see him land there."Frank Seravalli
Later on there was more details on what the contract could ultimately look like.
"I think what we're looking at with Gavrikov is potentially like seven years time almost eight million bucks. I am telling you, it's going to be expensive. "Frank Seravalli
At first blush that number seems like a lot for a player who turns 30 this season, and something that could backfire for the Rangers, and that's a valid concern. What most people may not be taking into account is that in recent years salary cap growth has been rather stagnant, and the economic environment is changing . For that reason we need to recalibrate how we think of players and their respective cap hits.
Hypothetically speaking, let's say that the number for Gavrikov ends up being $7.8 million a season, since that's almost $8 million. That would represent 8.16% of the 2025-26 salary cap which is $95.5 million. If that deal were signed last season at that percentage of the cap, it would have been a $7.2 million cap hit. Had it been signed a year prior at that percentage, it would have been a $6.8 million cap hit. What is important to remember is that the 2026-27 salary cap is set to be $104 million, and the following season it is set to jump to $113.5 million.
If the Rangers are signing Gavrikov with the intention of paying him to be a top-pairing defenseman, a present day contract under $8 million per season is a very reasonable deal all things considered. Factoring for future cap growth, while this contract would represent 8.16% of next year's salary cap, the share would drop to 7.5% for 2026-27, and 6.87% for 2027-28, That number will only decrease in future seasons, and it results in the Rangers paying Gavrikov a smaller share as his importance to the team diminishes.
This is the latest information we have, and for all we know Gavrikov could change his mind. This contract could also come in a little higher or lower. The larger overarching concept here is that the financial environment is changing, and we should probably start looking at contracts more through the lens of what percentage of the cap they occupy as opposed to a cap hit number.