Six Potential Landing Spots for Vladislav Gavrikov at the Trade Deadline

Last week we ran down some potential trade ideas for pending unrestricted free agent Gustav Nyquist. This week, we’ll do the same thing with another pending UFA for the Blue Jackets: defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov.

Vlad was originally picked in the 6th round (#159 overall) at the 2015 NHL Draft, though many in the scouting community had him ranked in the second or third round. He took his time developing in Russia, but upon coming to North America, he was an NHL ready player who was able to slot right into the second defense pairing for the Blue Jackets; which is where he’s been for four seasons now.

While his offensive numbers don’t jump off the page at you, he’s a predictable, reliable defender who eats up minutes and has stayed mostly healthy, which is surprising when you see how he plays. He’ll lay out and block shots, does a terrific job using his body to break up time and space or slow an attack, and has just enough skill to move the puck out of the zone with a quick pass. And, when he does score, he has the best celly in the league:

Any team looking for a top-four defenseman should be all in on Gavrikov, because I think he’s one of the more underrated defensemen in the league. His dependability and happy-go-lucky attitude makes him a fantastic add to any team looking to make a long playoff run this year. At just 27 years old, he’s right in the heart of his prime, and he’s under a team-friendly contract with just a $2.8m AAV. Nearly every team in the league can find a way to make this deal, if they so choose.

The Blue Jackets don’t want to trade Gavrikov, and nor should they. They already have the most inexperienced defense corps in the NHL with him in the lineup – trading him means they’ll likely remain that way for at least a couple more seasons. It would be a big hole on the back end for a team that has struggled defensively over the past three seasons.

The only reason we’re having this discussion is because Gavrikov has yet to sign a contract extension with the Blue Jackets. While a contract could hypothetically be done before the deadline, GM Jarmo Kekalainen is wise to explore his options here because this team cannot afford to lose valuable assets for nothing. And with them sitting dead last in the NHL standings, it’s not like trading him out is going to ruin anything they have going on this year.

So, we find ourselves diving into some potential trades for our beloved Vlad. He flies under the radar a little bit, but I have a feeling that whoever makes a deal for him, improves their Stanley Cup odds dramatically.

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.

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.