When the much‑maligned Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury entered NHL free agency, it was imperative that he signed a top‑flight, stay‑at‑home defenseman to flank his top gun, Adam Fox. Seven years and $49 million later, the Rangers got their man in Vladislav Gavrikov—a player not known for his offense, but for his stalwart defensive play, the exact type of presence the Rangers have been missing on their top pair since Ryan Lindgren was a somewhat healthy consistent player.
Lindgren was a horse for the Rangers, but let’s be honest: he was a stallion who ran too many races for a fledgling Blueshirts defense, and it eventually took its toll. He sacrificed his body on a nightly basis and was a warrior throughout his entire tenure as a Broadway Blueshirt. But last season it became glaringly obvious that the years of injuries had finally caught up to him. Once he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche, Ranger’s brass knew he needed to be replaced in the offseason by a Big Apple‑to‑Big Apple equivalent defenseman (yes, I know that was a horrible New York pun, and I’m sticking with it).
And he was replaced by a Russian machine that doesn’t break. Gavrikov was a stud for the Los Angeles Kings, averaging 20+ minutes per game with a +47 overall plus/minus rating by the end of his term in L.A. He was also known for his durability. Clearly, he had the résumé to justify how much James Dolan opened up his pocketbook for him back in July.
Even though the Rangers have underwhelmed defensively at times this season, it is by no fault of Vladdy. He has insulated Adam Fox’s even‑strength defensive shortcomings while also providing consistent minutes on the #1 penalty‑kill unit. He’s even sprinkled in some sporadic offense to sweeten the deal. At times, he leads the team in ice time while providing the steady, reliable play on the back end that the Rangers haven’t fully had since Dan Girardi’s heyday.
Gavrikov is paying off
A perfect example of his value to the Rangers came last night against the Dallas Stars. With Adam Fox extended absence from the lineup, it’s going to be incumbent on Gavrikov to hold down the fort even more so. He played a hard 22+ minutes and scored the game winning goal against an elite Dallas Stars team. He has quickly become a defensive stalwart and fan favorite.
As the season progresses, Mike Sullivan will continue to lean on the 30‑year‑old veteran to play big minutes and give goaltender Igor Shesterkin as much of a defensive cushion as possible.
There is still much to do for this Rangers defense to become a fully cohesive unit that can compete night in and night out. But from this Rangers fan’s perspective, when it comes to Gavrikov … I’m VLAD to see you.