Brad Penner-Imagn Images
His game may not be flashy, but Vladislav Gavrikov has provided the New York Rangers with exactly what they brought him in for.
During the offseason, the Rangers signed Gavrikov to a seven-year, $49 million contract with the hopes he can blossom into the team’s defensive anchor.
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Through 18 games, Gavrikov’s presence has been valuable for the Rangers.
The 29-year-old defenseman does so many of the little things that go unnoticed to the casual eye.
In his own zone, Gavrikov is defensively sound, always in the right positions while he plays a physical brand of hockey.
Mike Sullivan has also given Gavrikov important responsibilities. With Sullivan attempting to take a defensive load off of Adam Fox, more of that work goes onto Gavrikov’s plate.
He’s been playing a critical shorthanded role and he continues to take the defensive burden off of Fox, which allows him to engage more offensively.
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Gavrikov is averaging 22:34 minutes, ranking second amongst all Ranger players in that category and he leads the team in plus/minus rating at +6.
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If a player wants to get to Igor Shesterkin, they’ll have to get through Gavrikov. During the Rangers’ 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday afternoon, Scott Sabourin took a whack at Shesterkin and Gavrikov threw him to the ice in retaliation.
It’s those kinds of plays that catch the attention of Sullivan.
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“For sure it does,” Sullivan said on if Gavrikov’s defending of Shesterkin caught his attention. “He’s a team guy, and he’ll do whatever it takes to help his teammates. I think that goes a long way with his teammates. It certainly goes a long way with his coaching staff.”
The Rangers added a defensive anchor with the addition of Gavrikov and his contributions to the team should surely not go unnoticed.