As we celebrate the men’s and women’s overtime sweep of Canada in gold medal games, we come back down to reality that is the New York Rangers. It seems Vincent Trocheck will dictate the rest of the trade market among forwards, but another name is coming up in trade rumors, and it’s getting difficult to ignore. The Vlad Gavrikov trade rumors are getting louder, and while there’s no official smoke, it’s time to address how viable this is, and whether this passes the proverbial sniff test.
Vlad Gavrikov trade rumors make sense, but barely
On the surface, it’s easy to say the Vlad Gavrikov trade rumors make sense. He may have signed a seven year deal, taking a discount to come to New York, but it’s unlikely he expected the Rangers to be a tad more competitive than this. When he signed, there were hopes of a quick turnaround from a disastrous 2024-2025 season. Clearly that hasn’t happened, and next year is likely lost as well. Perhaps even beyond that.
Gavrikov turned 30 in November, so this was his final big payday. He took a discount to come win in New York and play with his friend Artemi Panarin. Panarin has since been traded and won’t be back in New York. The combination of a losing team with no end in sight, watching his friend and the guy who convinced him to come to New York get traded, and the possibility that the losing will continue well into his third or fourth season in New York can make Gavrikov question his decision making.
But, that’s where the Vlad Gavrikov rumors really stop making sense.
Gavrikov committed long term for a reason
If we take a step back, then the Vlad Gavrikov trade rumors really don’t pass the sniff test. He just signed in New York, committing seven years and a no move clause to make it happen. The discount aside, that’s the sign of someone who wanted to come play on Broadway.
Players aren’t dumb – the Rangers were bad last year and there was a solid chance that they were going to be bad this year as well, especially with Chris Drury being open about wanting to remake the team even before The Letter, 2.0. No one expected the Rangers to be this bad, and perhaps there were some rose colored glasses about Mike Sullivan’s impact and JT Miller as captain. Naturally, those didn’t pan out in Year One.
But Gavrikov was one of the players Drury and Sullivan met with before announcing the retool. There’s a reason why they met with him, Miller, Mika Zibanejad, Igor Shesterkin, and Adam Fox to get buy in on the new plan. It’s clear he’s a part of their vision for a retool, even if we here don’t necessarily think it’s going to be a quick turnaround.
At the very least, Gavrikov is likely going to be here for another year or two as this whole situation plays out. It wouldn’t shock me to see more Vlad Gavrikov trade rumors if the Rangers are simply unable to make it a quick turnaround. But for now, I don’t think these Vlad Gavrikov trade rumors pass the sniff test. For now.