The New York Rangers are coming off one of their most disappointing seasons in recent memory by being movers and shakers on the first day of NHL free agency.
This past season, the Rangers fell out of the Stanley Cup playoff mix one year after finishing with the best regular-season record in the NHL. But on Tuesday, the Rangers signed prized UFA defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, then traded young blueliner K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The contract for Gavrikov – seven years, at an average annual value of $7 million – gives the Blueshirts a 29-year-old first-pair D-man in his prime.
Gavrikov spent the past two seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, posting a combined 11 goals and 53 points in that span. But you’re not bringing Gavrikov to Manhattan to be an elite point-producer. You’re signing him to be a terrific stay-at-home defenseman, a big body at 6-foot-3 and a solid shot-blocker.
Gavrikov slots in as one half of the Rangers’ top pairing with star D-man Adam Fox. His stabilizing impact will free Fox to have a bounce-back campaign after suffering a 12-point drop in production this past season.
But here’s where it gets curious for the Blueshirts: by trading Miller – a rugged physical force and a player under team control as an RFA – the Rangers are shaving off considerable depth in their defense corps.
The price Rangers GM Chris Drury got for Miller Tuesday – up-and-coming defenseman Scott Morrow, a first-round pick and a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft – further alters the organizational chemistry.
In any case, the Rangers now have Gavrikov in tow as a de facto replacement for Miller. With that potential upgrade and a full season of star center J.T. Miller, the Rangers look like they’ll be back in the post-season next year. They’ve still got $1.4 million in cap space to play with, and they’re a team built to win now, so don’t be surprised if more moves are coming. But are they a better team today than they were yesterday? Absolutely, they are.
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