As the Blue Jackets continued through their California road trip over the weekend, one thing stood out to me: this team could really use a player like Vladislav Gavrikov. The former 6th round pick has developed into a reliable top pairing guy for the LA Kings.
I'll admit that I'm biased in writing this article. Vlad was one of my favorite Blue Jackets from the moment he first suited up in the union blue. His reliable defense-first style, quirky personality, and elite goal scoring celebration were all very appealing to me. With that said, even though I loved having him here, I can't say I saw him becoming such a high end player in the NHL.
Gavrikov is playing more than 23 minutes per night with the Kings, who are without #1 defenseman Drew Doughty as he recovers from a lower body injury. Impressively, he's tied for 6th in the NHL with a +12 rating through 16 games. That's really good for a guy whose team is only +7 on the season. Hear me out when I say this: Vlad is the one that got away.
They didn't even get much in return for him...
The Blue Jackets dealt Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to the LA Kings at the 2023 trade deadline, in exchange for first and third round picks. They turned the first round pick back around at the draft that summer in the Ivan Provorov trade - adding in a second round pick to do it. They used the third round pick this summer to select defenseman Luca Marrelli, who, admittedly, could be a nice find. But in the end, the trade tree looks like this:
Out: Vladislav Gavrikov, Joonas Korpisalo, 2025 second round pick.
In: Ivan Provorov, 2024 third round pick (Luca Marrelli).
That seems pretty lopsided to me. Provorov has been good for the Blue Jackets this season, spending much of the first month on the top pairing alongside Zach Werenski. The issue with Provorov in my opinion, is that he's a similar player to Werenski. He wants to have the puck on his stick and create plays with his skill and skating. But, he leaves something to be desired in his own end.
Gavrikov is exactly what this team needs...
On the flip side, Gavrikov is exactly what the Blue Jackets need. He gets the job done defensively, while facing top tier talent each and every night. He also leads the Kings in blocked shots. The Blue Jackets could certainly use a calm, steady shot limiter in their own end. In fact, I would say that's the biggest hole in their lineup right now.
It's unfortunate that the Jackets couldn't agree to a contract term with him in 2023. I think the rebuild would have been a little easier to swallow with Gavrikov still in a Blue Jackets sweater. This team's defensive zone wouldn't have been such a disaster last season, at the very least.
Vladislav Gavrikov is an unrestricted free agent this summer. There's a chance we haven't seen the last of him in Columbus. If he does become available, I could see the Jackets looking to fill the spot inevitably vacated by Provorov at the trade deadline, by bringing Vlad back to Columbus as a UFA next summer. Fingers crossed here.