Rangers General Manager Chris Drury got his target defenseman on the first day of NHL free agency, signing former LA King blueliner Vladislav Gavrikov to a seven year $49M contract. The deal includes a full No Move Clause for the first five seasons, and enough signing bonus money to make it almost buy-out proof through that same term.
The 6-3 220lb Russian provides some added size to the blueline, and the Rangers will be hoping he can slot in with Adam Fox, and provide a bit more defensive resiliency to their top unit. He played a career high 23:05 per game last season, and finished his three year stint as part of one of the better defensive units in the league.
What this means for Miller
As soon as the signing was announced, rumors surfaced that the Rangers were working on a deal to send K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes pending a contract extension being worked out. The Canes are no doubt a little gun-shy after trading for Mikko Rantanen and not being able to extend him back in March, and are ensuring that they have a deal in place before proceeding with the trade.
If a trade does go through, it would prove to be a change in Drury’s approach, with the Rangers GM yet to make a significant trade to an Eastern Conference team, let alone a team in the same division. Given the current Cap Space, it would also seem unlikely that he’ll be able to take on much in the way of contract unless he can somehow move Carson Soucy’s contract as well.
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