According to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, the Columbus Blue Jackets have offered Vladislav Gavrikov a contract. The 2015 6th round defenseman has several options.
Columbus Blue Jackets newsbreaker Aaron Portzline has reported a contract offer to one of the CBJ’s brightest blue line prospects. The Columbus Dispatch writer has reported that Vladislav Gavrikov has been offered an NHL contract.
#CBJ have an offer on the table for D Vladislav Gavrikov, a 6th round pick in 2015. He's coming to #NHL at some point, but unclear when.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) May 1, 2017
Gavrikov just finished his contract with his KHL team. The 21-year-old is one of many young promising players the Columbus Blue Jackets have in the pipeline.
The 6th round pick stands at six foot three inches tall and weighs in at 220. The left shot defenseman has had two and half solid years for Yaroslavl in the KHL. His 2017 playoff performance saw him rack up five points in 15 games with a +5 rating.
Gavrikov has also played for the Russian National Team in several tournaments. He is currently a part of the Russian defensive corps at the IIHF World Championships.
Portzline went on further to tweet that his source in Russia that said he thinks its unlikely that he comes to the NHL this season.
Spoke w a source in Russia - not affiliated w agent or team - who believes it's unlikely Gavrikov makes the jump this off-season.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) May 1, 2017
Vladislav’s American based agent is in Europe and plans on meeting with his client during the IIHF World Championships. Vladislav will certainly be courted by his current team in Russia. He is a great player and had plenty of playoff success as they reached the Gagarin Cup Western Conference Finals.
His future is bright and adding him to the defensive corps will great for the team moving forward. It does however make the blue line a bit crowded.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Accessing the Blue Line with Gavrikov
The team has said they see Gavrikov as a top six defenseman today. If no one is moved, the top two pairs will stay the same in Jones-Werenski and Savard-Johnson. With Vladislav that leaves five options for the final two spots. Murray, Nutivaara, Gavrikov, Carlsson, and Harrington all will have a shot at the spot along with possibly Dean Kukan.
With only so much ice to go around, there will be a piece moved if the top four defenseman stay with the CBJ. Ryan Murray is still a very attractive defenseman despite his heath issues. Gavrikov could be a great trade piece as he is highly thought of, but hasn’t proven anything in the NHL. The Jackets may be able to move him in a package for a more proven player.
But what happens if Jack Johnson isn’t on the roster after the Expansion Draft? I see the CBJ working to entice Vegas to select Johnson from the Jackets. It would ensure that Anderson and Korpisalo stay in Columbus where the Jackets need them. It also moves $4.3 million off the books for a team that needs to resign Alexander Wennberg to a big contract.
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Johnson would be a big name that the Vegas Golden Knights could market. He has west coast name recognition with his time with the Kings, and has been an American Captain in international tournaments.
This scenario would open up many more line combination and options for the defensive corps. Gavrikov would likely find a spot on the NHL roster or at least be the 7th defenseman. This is the Jackets best course of action as they work to bring the Russian defenseman to the NHL.