Per Frank Seravalli on the DFO Rundown, the Rangers could sign Vlad Gavrikov to a 7 year, $8 million contract. The Rangers are the front runners for Gavrikov and have been clearing cap space to ensure they can land the 29 year old (30 in November) defenseman. The expectation is Gavrikov will play alongside Adam Fox as the Rangers 1LD, and at $8 million until he’s 36, the expectations are going to be sky high for a guy who hopefully won’t age poorly.
If this is true, then Chris Drury will essentially be replacing Jacob Trouba with Gavrikov after trading Chris Kreider to ensure there was enough cap space. It’s never a good idea to sign a guy turning 30 to a long term contract, but the hope is his play style doesn’t fall off a cliff. Naturally, the no-move clauses, if any, and the structure of the contract will determine the actual pain this inflicts on the cap.
It’s not the greatest contract, but it’s worth noting $8 million is 8.37% of the $95.5 million cap ceiling. If we take the NHL at its word that the cap will go to $102 million the following year, then it drops to 7.8% of the cap, and will continue to drop. If you’re looking for a silver lining to go with the Rangers again getting older on the blue line, here it is.
Gavrikov is a fine player. Time will tell if he lives up to that contract.
