The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they’ll keep defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov out of the lineup for “trade-related reasons.”
Gavrikov, 27, is considered to be one of the best defensemen on the trade market this season. More of a phyiscal blue liner with shutdown capabilities, Gavrikov has 10 points in 52 games while averaging a career-high 22:20 a night. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent in the last year of a $2.8 million deal.
Gavrikov is mainly viewed as a defensive defenseman who can kill penalties, block shots and handle heavy minutes consistently. Those are all key things playoff contenders would love to add ahead of the deadline, but his offensive output has dropped by nearly half. Bringing Gavrikov in would be more to address own-zone needs than landing an all-around blue liner, but there’s no shortage of contenders that could use a guy like him.
While the scratching of Gavrikov isn’t due to an injury, the team is without Jake Bean and Zach Werenski already. Not having Gavrikov will definitely hamper the team’s blue line, which might be the ultimate goal in the race to land Connor Bedard. The Blue Jackets sit last with a 16-33-4 record and 36 points in 53 games, one point ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks. Columbus holds the best odds to land the first overall pick this June at 25.5 percent.
The Blue Jackets host the New Jersey Devils Wednesday night before meetings with Winnipeg and Dallas to close out the week. It’s not clear how long the Blue Jackets will scratch Gavrikov or whether a deal is imminent with the trade deadline set for March 3. The Arizona Coyotes have been keeping Jakob Chychrun out of the lineup for trade-related reasons as well, with many expecting him to be on the move in the near future.
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