Just one year after signing a long-term contract deal with the New York Rangers, former Los Angeles Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov is already the subject of some rumors and trade speculation this summer.
Per Arthur Staple of the Rangers Recon podcast, there are some "whispers" that Gavrikov is unhappy with the direction of the franchise and he could consider requesting a trade if the team struggles again in this upcoming season.
When Gavrikov signed a long-term contract with the Rangers in unrestricted free agency last offseason, he did so with the expectation that New York would be contending in the Eastern Conference this past season.
"There are still whispers that Gavrikov is not super happy with the direction of the Rangers. If things go bad, is he going to be a guy in Drury’s office saying ‘I think I’d like to go somewhere else’?"Arthur Staple on Vladislav Gavrikov
Could a reunion between Vladislav Gavrikov and the Los Angeles Kings actually happen?
However, the last year or so hasn't gone as planned for Gavrikov with the Rangers. He's seen key teammates in New York, like veteran center Vincent Trocheck, star winger Artemi Panarin, and depth players like forward Conor Sheary, leave via free agency and the trade market in the last few months.
Last offseason, many Kings fans wanted the front office to bring back Gavrikov on a new contract on the blue line. Gavrikov is a known commodity for the Kings who was a steady and reliable top-four contributor on the blue line for multiple seasons in the last few years before he signed with the Rangers last offseason.
The Kings have been looking for a quality puck-moving defenseman who can bolster the top four on the blue line for this upcoming season.
Gavrikov would give the Kings a proven top-four defenseman who is capable of playing heavy minutes while also contributing offenisvely after posting double-digit goals and a career-high 35 total points this past regular season.
Why it probably wouldn't make sense for the Kings to get into hypothetical discussions with the Rangers on the trade block for Gavrikov is the lack of cap flexibility for Los Angeles this offseason. Not only do the Kings already have multiple veteran defensemen on the roster sheet for the upcoming season, including Drew Doughty, Joel Edmundson, and Mikey Anderson, but the team only has roughly $2 million in cap space remaining.
At this moment, this remains little more than offseason speculation. Gavrikov hasn't at least publicly expressed any desire to leave the Rangers, and New York hasn't shown any indication of wanting to move him on the trade block.
That said, if the Rangers get off to another disappointing start this upcoming season, this could be a situation worth monitoring, especially for the Kings fans who remember just how impactful Gavrikov was during his time in Los Angeles.
Add us as a preferred source on Google