Report: Rangers sign Vladislav Gavrikov to seven-year, $49-million contract

Vladislav Gavrikov is headed to Broadway as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the New York Rangers have signed the unrestricted free agent defenseman to a seven-year contract worth $7 million per season.

Gavrikov, 29, spent the past two-and-a-half seasons with the Los Angeles Kings after getting traded by the Columbus Blue Jackets. This year, Gavrikov scored five goals and 30 points while averaging 23:05 a night, the most of his NHL career. Known for being more of a shutdown defender, Gavrikov set a new personal best with 140 blocks and 285 shot attempts.

Drafted 159th overall by the Blue Jackets in 2015, Gavrikov spent five years in the KHL before making his NHL regular season debut in 2019-20. The 6-foot-3 rearguard has always been a strong defender, but has started to improve his game with the puck as well. After scoring 15 goals and 73 points in 256 games with the Blue Jackets, Gavrikov notched 14 goals and 62 points in just 179 games with the Kings. In all, through 435 career contests with the Blue Jackets and Kings, Gavrikov has totaled 29 goals and 106 assists for 135 points.

Gavrikov started the day as the top ranked free agent defenseman by Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin.

Internationally, Gavrikov has won various medals, and was named the top defenseman at the 2015 World Juniors. His biggest accomplishment was his Olympic gold medal in 2018 with the Olympic Athletes from Russia where he scored twice and added an assist while playing a big role on the blue line.

Gavrikov joins a Rangers squad that closed out the 2024-25 regular season with a 39-36-7 record and six points shy of a playoff position in the Eastern Conference, marking the first time since 2021 where the Rangers did not qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.