Six Potential Landing Spots for Vladislav Gavrikov at the Trade Deadline

We’ll start this list off with two teams whose aging cores of players will almost certainly force their hands to try to win this season: the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. While it’s tough to see GM Jarmo Kekalainen dealing a valuable asset like this to a divisional rival, it’s not impossible – they just might have to pay a premium to get it done. Which could make things really worthwhile for the Jackets.

The Penguins are probably in a better space to make this kind of deal than the Capitals, because they have more of their own draft capital. But, for either of these teams to dip into the Jackets roster, I think this first round pick has to be this year, and I think they have to up their ante to a second round pick if they want in on Gavrikov. The year of that pick wouldn’t be as crucial, and would depend on which one of these teams might get involved (the Caps don’t have their 2nd this year, for example).

For these reasons, I think it’s unlikely that either of these teams will seriously be in on a deal for Vlad, but if past history and their roster situations are any indication, we can’t write them off until a deal isn’t done. Both teams should be looking to contend as much as possible as players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Alexander Ovechkin continue to age.

But since we’re talking about the Metropolitan Division here, there’s one other team that could sneak into this conversation: the New Jersey Devils. They’re in a different situation, with their window of contention just starting to creep open. Could they look to make a splash and add some depth to their blue line before the playoffs?

The Devils are at a slight advantage because they have a very deep and talented prospect pool, which could give them the leg up if they wanted to step into the Gavrikov conversation.

It goes without saying that the Devils aren’t trading a Simon Nemec or Luke Hughes in any deal like this, but they’ve been patiently building up, waiting for this team to break out, and they finally have. Would they be willing to deal away a second tier prospect who might be close to the NHL? Would the Jackets bite at such a deal?

I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility. The best years are just starting to roll in for the Devils, so they could really go without adding anything at this year’s deadline, and simply wait for their prospects to come along before aiming for serious contention. But, like with Pittsburgh and Washington, they are a dark horse until no deal is done.

It goes without saying that, sometimes if you’re trading away a player you really love it’s better to send them far, far away – where they can’t come back to haunt you. There are two teams out west who have been trying to add a defenseman, and both teams should be in hard on Gavrikov if the Jackets are seriously looking to trade him away.

The Oilers are at a huge advantage here because they have an NHL player that they’re supposedly looking to move. A first round pick is the starting point for Gavrikov, and I do think it will take this year’s first to get it done – but the Oilers don’t have to send any other picks to Columbus if they return Jesse Puljujarvi in this trade.

This kind of deal could work for both sides: the Oilers get a legitimate second pairing defenseman that could put them over the top and make them Cup contenders (anything can happen with McDavid and Draisaitl on the ice). The Jackets get that sought after first round pick, along with a responsible two-way forward who is still trying to find his offensive game. Bonus: he’s close friends with Patrik Laine.

This one might be a little one-sided towards the Jackets, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see more moving parts. But, I also wouldn’t be surprised if these were the main components of a deal with the Oilers, who are hungry to contend now. If the Jackets were to throw in a struggling player from our side – say, Emil Bemstrom – then I think the Oilers could add another piece to this deal to make it all work for both sides. Or, the Jackets could move on and deal with another Pacific Division team:

The LA Kings could be the perfect trade partners for the Jackets this year, if we’re talking about Gavrikov. Like Columbus, they have hemorrhaged goals; giving up the 9th most in the league. But their offense has been good enough to keep them in playoff contention, and as we know: if you get in, anything can happen.

The Kings have been rumored to be in on Jakob Chychrun, but should they miss out on him, they could go all in on Gavrikov. What makes them an intriguing trade partner is that, like New Jersey, they have an abundance of quality, NHL ready prospects, and could include any one of them in a deal like this. Or, they could simply throw one of their extra third round picks this year to get it done.

But if they wanted to include someone like Jaret Anderson-Dolan, the Jackets would be wise to jump on the trade ASAP. He’s a guy that could come in and play center right away, not unlike the time the team traded James Wisniewski away and acquired William Karlsson. 

The last two teams on our list are rumored to be in on nearly every big name available, whether it’s a forward or a defenseman. And with good reason, both of them are looking to win the Stanley Cup this year, and both of them look capable of doing just that.

The Bruins went out at last year’s deadline and acquired pending UFA Hampus Lindholm, who they liked so much that they signed him to an 8-year extension after the season. Could they repeat history with Gavrikov?

Why not? He’s one year younger than Lindholm, and the two play a similar style. The only real difference here is that Vlad doesn’t have quite the same upside offensively, which means the return won’t be quite as significant. The Bruins have one of the oldest cores in the league, but are running away with the President’s Trophy already, and could look to add some size and depth to their back end.

They could then sign Vlad long-term in the offseason and have him as a core piece to their back-end for years to come. Really, this deal makes a lot of sense for Boston and I would not be surprised to see them make it happen. The other Atlantic Division team in this discussion is in a slightly different situation, with the main part of their core being a lot younger … but they are desperate for some playoff success:

The Problem for the Leafs here: if they trade their first round pick this season, they might only have three picks in the rest of the draft. They own two third round picks, but Arizona has the option to take one of them. And, they’ve already traded their 2024 third rounder, which means that if they want Gavrikov, they’ll have to either trade this year’s other third, or make their second piece a second round pick next season. I don’t think a first and fourth is enough to pry Vlad away.

So the Jackets throw in an extra pick next summer, and get two high picks in return for Gavrikov, which does help ease the pain of trading away their beloved defenseman. This kind of in-zone defender who can take up time and space is exactly the kind of player the Leafs need to put them over the top, especially since they’re already pretty much assured another first round matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In the end, I think Gavrikov’s value to the Jackets might be a lot more than a lot of people realize, and I would not be surprised to see the two come to terms rather than making a deal. The Ducks moving Lindholm last year should serve as a warning: look at how many goals they’ve given up this season without him.

The problem with trading away viable top-four defenseman is that, once you trade them, you need to go right back out and find another one. They aren’t very readily available, and as this article will prove, when they are available, they do not come cheap. It will be really interesting to follow this story as the deadline approaches.