The start of NHL free agency is over a week away, but a recent report from NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman suggests that the New York Rangers could be the top landing spot if pending free agent Vladislav Gavrikov decides to leave the Los Angeles Kings.
Friedman released a post Stanley Cup edition of his 32 Thoughts column, and one of his earliest thoughts in the piece related directly to the Rangers.
"8. Ekblad staying changes the defence market. It puts the Flames in even better position with Andersson. Among left shots, Vladislav Gavrikov is not believed to have a long list of places he wants to go if he leaves Los Angeles, which is why so many are pointing to the Rangers."Elliotte Friedman, 32 Thoughts
The interest in Gavrikov is understandable for the Rangers, especially if they view him as a better fit for what they are trying to accomplish under new head coach Mike Sullivan as opposed to K'Andre Miller whose name has been in trade rumors for quite awhile.
Gavrikov is projected to be the best defender available in free agency, and he turns 30 this November. He's a defenseman that logs big minutes and uses his 6'3" and 220 pound frame when necessary, and has posted some quality underlying metrics in recent years. The Kings' team website raved about Gavrikov's 2025 season, and here's a sampling of what they had to say about his game.
"Trending Up – Gavrikov was selected as the team’s most Outstanding Defenseman, voted on by the members of the media. Seeing his role elevated, Gavrikov logged a career-high 23:07 this season, as he led all Kings blueliners with a +26 rating during the regular season.LAKings.com
Around the NHL this season, Gavrikov established himself as a top defensive defenseman. Of the 17 blueliners to log at least 1,500 minutes this season on the backend, Gavrikov’s 1.64 goals against per/60 was the best mark in the league, while his on-ice metrics for scoring chances against and high-danger chances against were also the best in the league among those defensemen. 17 is a small number, certainly, but these are the highest-usage players in the league. The numbers presented a pretty clear picture. With Gavrikov on the ice, the Kings allowed very few goals, which stemmed from allowing very few chances. Pretty good combination."
In terms of underlying analytics, Gavrikov posted a 59.74 GF%, a 55.81 CF%, and a 57.19 xGF% per Evolving-Hockey. Sites like HockeyViz.com also tracked Gavrikov allowing 0.23 fewer expected goals against per 60 minutes of play, and that was 10% than league average. All of these numbers paint the picture of Gavrikov being a standout left-handed defensive defenseman, and that happens to be the Rangers' biggest need.
Ultimately it comes down to how much Gavrikov wants to get paid, and if that's a number that works for the New York Rangers. According to AFP Analytics, the likliest contract for Gavrikov is a seven-year deal worth $7.6 million a season. On the other hand, Evolving-Hockey has Gavrikov's likeliest deal coming in at $5,636,000 a season for four years.
There's a considerable gap in the two projections, both in term and dollars, but you'd have to think President and General Manager Chris Drury would be comfortable with something in the middle of those figures, perhaps $6.25 million for five years? This is the start of "silly season" and with the draft a week away we should start to get more clarity on what could happen once teams start making trades and clearing more cap space.