Gavrikov Doing It All for the Blueshirts

Last season, the New York Rangers struggled defensively.

They were 15th in the league in goals allowed, gave up close to 30 shots per game, and frequently left both Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick out to dry. The team was disorganized and played with no defensive structure.

This season has been a much different story for the Blueshirts. As of this writing (Wednesday, December 10), the team is 10th in the league in goals allowed and they give up about 29 shots per game.

While there is no doubt that the team's defensive structure under new head coach Mike Sullivan has been terrific, there is one player in particular that deserves a lot of praise for his steady play on the back end. That player is Vladislav Gavrikov.

The Rangers went out and signed Gavrikov, 30, to a seven-year, $49 million contract on the second day of free agency (July 2, 2025) after Gavrikov had spent the previous three seasons with the Los Angeles Kings. He was signed to be Adam Fox's new partner and to be someone who could play defensive hockey the right way.

So far, it is clear to say that Gavrikov has done that and more for his new team. In fact, it is safe to say that Gavrikov is doing it all for this Rangers' hockey team.

For starters, he has shown that he is a really smart defenseman. He knows how to break up plays, block shots, be smart with the puck in his own end, and be in the right position at all times.

Secondly, he has been very reliable. When Fox got hurt, fans were worried that the team's defensive play would slip and wondered if Gavrikov could step up and be the club's number one defenseman.

Gavrikov has definitely stepped up in a big way with Fox out. He is currently (as of Wednesday, December 10) averaging 23:24 minutes of ice time per game, which is the most in his career, and is being put out on the ice in important situations.

Speaking of being reliable, he is currently second on the team with a +/- +7. This means that when he is on the ice, his team is scoring a lot more goals than they are giving up, which is impressive considering how minutes he plays on a nightly basis.

Sullivan echoed this sentiments when speaking with Remy Mastey of The Hockey News last week.

We think he's a very good defenseman,” Sullivan said of Gavrikov. “We thought he was a good defenseman when we signed him, and he's been everything we had hoped he'd be, and then some. He defends hard. We rely on him in these situations.

Lastly, Gavrikov has shown that he can contribute offensively. Gavrikov currently has 13 points (six goals and seven assists) and has shown the team and their fans that he has a great shot and that he can create scoring chances for his hockey club.

In that same article linked above, Sullivan said that he believes that Gavrikov can really help the team's offense in a variety of ways.

Well, I don't know that we thought 20-something games in he'd have five goals,” Sullivan said. “Obviously, his core competency is his ability to defend. He's hard to play against. He's one of the better defending defensemen, we think, in the league. Having said that, we believe has the ability to help our offense, whether it be with outlet passes or joining the rush or being active off the offensive blue line. 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.

The Rangers should consider themselves very lucky to have someone like Gavrikov anchoring their blue line right now, as he does it all. Whether it is defending the right way, logging a lot of minutes, contributing offensively, or just being a reliable and responsible player, Gavrikov has shown the Rangers and their fans that he is worth every penny that they are paying him.