Vlad Gavrikov was the highlight of Chris Drury’s 2025 offseason, trading both K’Andre Miller and Chris Kreider away to make cap and roster space for the now 30 year old defenseman. Gavrikov left money on the table, taking 7 years and $7 million to come to the Rangers to be the 1LD next to Adam Fox. Gavrikov came in with lofty defensive expectations as one of the top shutdown defensemen in the NHL, and unlike the Rangers he did not disappoint.
Vlad Gavrikov shattered his career high in goals, something completely unexpected. His 14 goals was more than double his previous career high of six. His 21 assists was 7 short of his current high (28), and his 35 points was 5 more than his prior high of thirty-three. The goals and points were an unexpected surprise as Gavrikov led the offensive charge while Adam Fox was hurt.
What was a tad surprising to see how Vlad Gavrikov’s defensive metrics looked last season. While this may be a product of the dumpster fire that was the New York Rangers last season, it’s still worth calling out. His defense rating on his player card (first image) is likely impacted by his poor shorthanded numbers last season. At 5v5 he was solid, if a little underwhelming thanks to the messy situation he came to. He was fine limiting quality chances against, but quantity of shot attempts allowed was a tick higher than we had hoped. There’s lots of room to improve as the team gets better.
Gavrikov’s microstats from last season are a bit concerning ,especially his defensive zone retrievals and exits. He made up for it with solid zone entry defense numbers though. Interestingly enough, Vlad Gavrikov looks like a great complement for Adam Fox, as their strengths and weaknesses align to balance out the other. It’s easy to say pair them together because they are the two best defensemen on the team, but their zone entry defense and defensive zone exit numbers are perfectly aligned to address each other’s weaknesses.
Ideally Vlad Gavrikov improves shorthanded next season, which should get his numbers back on track. Having an actual second pair on defense and not two third pairs will help a lot too. His offensive numbers will go down next year with the Sean Durzi acquisition, so his overall defensive play, again especially shorthanded, will need to improve.
Vlad Gavrikov 2025-2026 report card grade: A-
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