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Vladislav Gavrikov, Los Angeles Kings (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Evaluating Rangers’ Defense After Gavrikov Signing & Miller Trade

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Brian Abate | Last updated Jul 3, 2025 8:55 AM ET

The New York Rangers made two big moves on defense as they signed lefty Vladislav Gavrikov, and traded lefty K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for defense prospect Scott Morrow, a first-round pick and a second-round pick. They now have an ideal defense partner for Adam Fox, but it is unclear who will play on their second and third pairs.

Rangers Will Rely Heavily on Gavrikov

After playing well alongside Fox for his first few seasons, Ryan Lindgren struggled during his last two seasons, and the Rangers traded him to the Colorado Avalanche in March, just before the trade deadline. After the trade, Carson Soucy spent time playing with Fox, but struggled on the top pair, and Urho Vaakanainen also spent some time on the top pair.

Though Fox was still the Rangers’ top defenseman, he did not play as well as he did in past seasons. Though he still finished with 10 goals and 51 assists, he had finished with more goals and assists in the previous three seasons. He defended well for the most part in the defensive zone, but his defense partners, who were supposed to be reliable defensively, made too many defensive mistakes.

The Rangers made a big commitment, signing Gavrikov to a seven-year, $49 million contract, but the hope is the 29-year-old will help bring out the best in Fox. He is very strong defensively, reliable, contributes on the penalty kill, and he also contributed offensively last season as he finished with five goals and 25 assists for the Los Angeles Kings.

Gavrikov began his career with the Columbus Blue Jackets and made his NHL debut during the 2018-19 postseason. He quickly became a top-four defenseman for them and set a career-high in points (33) as he finished with five goals and 28 assists in 2021-22. He was traded to the Kings during the 2022-23 season, became one of their most reliable defensemen, and helped them make the playoffs in all three of his seasons with them.

Rangers’ Second and Third Defense Pairs Remain Unclear

While Gavrikov will be a key addition, the Rangers traded away Miller who has been a top-four defenseman since his rookie 2020-21 season. His defense partner for the majority of his five seasons in New York was Jacob Trouba, who was traded to the Anaheim Ducks last season.

The Rangers acquired righty defenseman Will Borgen in the trade that sent Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken last season. He played very well alongside Miller as a second-pair defenseman and earned a five-year extension. Even though he spent most of his four seasons with Seattle playing limited minutes on the third pair, he looked comfortable playing a bigger role and stepped up with New York.

Righty Braden Schneider spent his first three seasons on the Rangers’ third defense pair behind Fox and Trouba, but he spent some time in the top four last season. He also did a nice job playing on his off side, and he could do so again this season.

The Rangers have veteran lefties in Soucy and Vaakanainen, who will likely be in the lineup unless a young blueliner can take one of their spots. 6-foot-4 lefty Matthew Robertson had one goal and 24 assists in 60 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL) last season, while Morrow, a righty, flashed offensive skill with the Chicago Wolves and finished with 13 goals and 26 assists in 52 games. He also had one goal and five assists in 14 regular-season games with the Hurricanes and played in five playoff games, too.

The Rangers Should Have a Strong Top Defense Pair

The Rangers made a big commitment to Gavrikov, but the hope is he will be more consistent than Miller and that his strong defensive play will help Fox. While they will miss Miller, they got valuable assets in return, including Morrow, who is a skilled prospect. They will have to figure out the right combinations for their second and third pairs, but their top pair should be set for years to come.