Danny Wild-Imagn ImagesWhen the New York Rangers signed Vladislav Gavrikov to a seven-year, $49 million contract last offseason, the organization was expecting to get a reliable stay-at-home defenseman.
What the entire team could not have expected was Gavrikov’s impressive offensive production.
In 82 games last season, Gavrikov recorded a career-high 14 goals and 35 points, along with 21 assists.
“Whether it be with outlet passes or joining the rush or being active off the offensive blue line," Sullivan said of Gavrikov's offensive game in December. "I won't lie, I'm surprised with how effective he's been just with his instincts. In particular, the way he jumps off the offensive blue line.”
Can the 30-year-old defenseman repeat this offensive success through the 2026-27 campaign?
Despite Gavrikov’s sudden offensive surge, it’s unlikely he will match that level of production this upcoming season.
With Fox missing a large chunk of games, Gavrikov jumped into a role on the first power-play unit as the lone defenseman. Even with Fox in the lineup late in the year, Gavrikov was able to carve out a role on the Rangers’ second power-play unit.
On the man advantage, Gavrikov tallied three goals, three assists, and six points.
Fox will continue to preside over that first power-play spot as long as he stays healthy. The Rangers also added Sean Durzi over the offseason, who has experience playing on the man advantage and will likely slot into a spot on the Rangers’ second power-play unit over Gavrikov.
He would also be slated to replace Fox on the first unit if he were to be out of the lineup and miss any games.
Gavrikov is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high of 23:44 minutes per game, but with the additions of Durzi and Marcus Pettersson, Gavrikov's time on ice and overall usage should decrease a bit, which would limit his offensive opportunities.
It’s not entirely out of the picture that Gavrikov picks up right where he left off offensively, but given his unique usage last season compared to how he’s been utilized in years past, on top of the Rangers’ offseason moves, it’s unlikely he’ll recapture that high level of offensive production.
