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Trevor Zegras Trade Talks Gaining Momentum

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The likelihood of a change of scenery for Ducks forward Trevor Zegras during draft week is growing, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Monday. Anaheim is in “significant discussions” with multiple teams on a trade for the 24-year-old, and it appears one of those talks will get across the finish line before or during the draft on Friday and Saturday.

Zegras’ name has popped up in trade rumors and speculation ever since semi-contentious contract negotiations upon reaching restricted free agency in 2023. He ended up settling for a three-year, $17.25MM contract off the back of two straight 60-point seasons, carrying what looked like a team-friendly cap hit of $5.75MM at the time while also giving the Ducks, who were lukewarm on Zegras’ ceiling as a first-line piece on a contending team, the flexibility of not making a long-term commitment.

Those talks resulted in Zegras missing a good portion of training camp, an important one with a new head coach in Greg Cronin. The ensuing 2023-24 campaign was nightmarish. He had just two points through his first 12 games before a lower-body injury took him out of the lineup for 20 games. He only returned for a few weeks before requiring ankle surgery. He was limited to a 6-9–15 scoring line in 31 appearances on the year, seeing his points per game decline from 0.80 to 0.48 while averaging 1:45 less per game than he did in 2022-23.

Injuries continued to plague Zegras this past season, limiting him to 57 games. He at least rebounded somewhat offensively, posting 12 goals and 32 points, but that still doesn’t sniff the 60-point ceiling he demonstrated earlier in his career. The 24-year-old still averaged around 17 minutes per game, was deployed almost exclusively on the wing after starting his career as a center, but was notably trusted by Cronin in some tougher defensive matchups without a meaningful hit to his possession impacts. That was a promising sign for the Ducks moving forward, but after making a coaching change and looking to make a significant splash in free agency this summer, Zegras’ future in a top-six role in Anaheim remains cloudy.

The Ducks weren’t realistically going to trade Zegras last summer, when he had two years left on his deal and his trade value was at a low point. His value has now rebounded somewhat after his improved two-way showing in 2024-25, and there are likely teams out there that still view him as having everyday second-line upside, whether at center or on the wing. If it’s the former, he’ll at least need to be paired with a winger who’s competent in the faceoff circle. Zegras has won only 40.1% of draws over his five-year NHL career and won a career-low 36.6% of them in 2024-25.

Anaheim, which drafted Zegras ninth overall in 2019, will presumably look for at least a first-round pick or equivalent asset in return. Considering the dearth of impact center pickups in free agency or on the trade market aside from names like Mikael Granlund, Marco Rossi, and John Tavares, they should be able to get it.

The Canadiens nearly landed Zegras at the 2024 draft and, since they’re still looking for a long-term solution as their No. 2 center behind Nick Suzuki, should be expected to pursue him again here. Teams like the Blackhawks, Canucks, Flyers, Kraken, Penguins, and Sabres who have shown interest in acquiring Rossi from the Wild are also likely keeping tabs on Zegras as a fallback option.

Maple Leafs Linked To Mikael Granlund, Pius Suter

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The Maple Leafs have displayed interest in centers Mikael Granlund and Pius Suter to bolster their depth at the position after free agency opens next week, according to Kristen Shilton of ESPN.

They’re expected to pursue them for a bigger punch down the middle, even if they agree to a new contract with No. 2 center John Tavares, also a pending UFA. If they can’t extend the latter, though, pursuing one or both of Granlund and Suter this summer immediately becomes their top priority instead of a “nice-to-have” pickup in addition to a partial replacement for Mitch Marner on the wing. That’s an increasingly likely outcome with Tavares and the Leafs not being close on a new deal as of Saturday.

If the Leafs manage to retain Tavares, they’d presumably be more interested in Suter as a minute-munching third-line option while keeping Tavares in favorable offensive deployment with William Nylander on the second line if he’s not moved up to Auston Matthews’ unit in place of the departing Marner. Granlund, on the other hand, is far less of a two-way player than Suter but has a significantly higher offensive ceiling that could, at least feasibly, be a near-direct replacement for Tavares in favorable usage if they can’t re-sign him. The 33-year-old Finn totaled 22 goals and 66 points in 83 games this year, split between the Sharks and Stars. That’s 0.19 fewer points per game than Tavares gave Toronto, but playing with Nylander could help him cover the gap.

Suter would be an expensive third-line piece, but the 29-year-old would be worth the price of admission to give the club its best option at the position since their deadline pickup of Ryan O’Reilly in 2023. The 5’11” Swiss native had a career-high 25 goals and 46 points last year with Vancouver, averaging north of 17 minutes per game and often seeing duties as a matchup forward. He played far more at center than he had in the past, and while faceoffs remain an issue (42.7 FOW%), he had favorable possession metrics in the most difficult defensive deployment of his five-year NHL career. He saw significant time on both special teams units as well, particularly shorthanded, where he averaged 2:17 per game to lead Vancouver forwards.

Shilton named Claude Giroux as a more speculative/tertiary option. He’s not mentioned in the same tier of interest as Granlund and Suter for good reason. The 37-year-old remains in productive talks with the Senators on a contract extension and hasn’t consistently played down the middle in quite some time, although he still takes a good deal of faceoffs and does so quite well. He won 59.1% of his draws over the last three years in Ottawa.

Islanders Name Rocky Thompson AHL Head Coach

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The Islanders have begun the process of rebuilding their minor-league coaching staff, which was cleaned out entirely after general manager Mathieu Darche assumed his post last month. The organization announced they’ve tabbed Rocky Thompson as AHL Bridgeport’s head coach.

Thompson, 47, brings 18 years of coaching experience to the struggling Baby Isles’ bench. He’d spent the past three years with the Flyers as an assistant under John Tortorella, mainly as a power-play coach. After Tortorella was fired with weeks left in the regular season, Thompson was let go as Philadelphia overhauled its support staff after the campaign concluded. The Flyers’ power play clicked at a league-worst 14.1% under Thompson since 2022-23.

While his last job doesn’t inspire much intrigue, his earlier resume does. Thompson served as the head coach of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves from 2017-18 to 2019-20 while they were affiliated with the Blues and Golden Knights, leading them to a Calder Cup Final appearance in 2019. He also coached the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires to a Memorial Cup win in 2017 as the host club, overseeing a roster led by future NHLers Mikhail Sergachev and Gabriel Vilardi.

Thompson’s previous coaching stops included an assistant role with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings from 2007-08 to 2009-10 and a stint with AHL Oklahoma City (the Oilers’ former affiliate) from 2010-11 to 2013-14 before making his debut as an NHL coach as an assistant with the Oilers in 2014-15. He also worked with the Sharks as an associate coach in the 2020-21 campaign.

The Calgary native was a third-round pick by the Flames in 1995 and played 25 NHL games across four seasons with them and the Panthers. He never recorded a point but did rack up 117 PIMs – spending more time in the box than on the ice (94:41).

Bridgeport’s coaching change comes after Rick Kowalsky oversaw the club for the last two seasons. He compiled a rather dubious 40-88-16 record, including an AHL-record low four home wins in 2024-25. Expect the Isles to be active in signing high-end minor-league depth this summer as a result to help create a more competitive environment for their younger prospects.

SHL’s Malmö Redhawks Sign Topi Niemelä

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The Malmö Redhawks of the Swedish Hockey League have agreed to a deal with defenseman Topi Niemelä for the 2025-26 season, according to a team announcement. Niemelä, a member of the Maple Leafs organization and a pending restricted free agent, can have his signing rights retained by Toronto until July 2029 if they tender him a qualifying offer.

All of Niemelä’s time with Toronto was spent at the AHL level, where he posted an 11-52–63 scoring line and a minus-eight rating over 135 appearances for the Marlies. That’s decent offensive production but not quite the pop they hoped for from the 6’0″ righty when they signed him to his entry-level contract in May 2022 and brought him over to North America near the end of the following season. Niemelä fell out of a regular role with the Marlies at points this past season, although he did still finish second among Marlies defensemen in scoring and played both of their postseason games in a first-round loss to Cleveland.

A third-round pick for the Leafs in the 2020 draft, there was hope he could outperform his draft slot when he erupted for a 10-goal, 32-point season in 48 games with Liiga’s Kärpät, taking a huge step forward in the top league in his native Finland in his age-19 season. Nonetheless, he had just 18 points in 58 games for Kärpät when Toronto loaned him back there the following season before bringing him over to the AHL.

After that breakout season, most had Niemelä tabbed as the top defense prospect in a Maple Leafs pool without many intriguing names to offer. He’s since been surpassed by shutdown righty Ben Danford, their first-round selection in 2024.

It remains to be seen if Niemelä will ever play for the Maple Leafs, but it stands to reason they’ll at least opt to retain his signing rights if and when he decides to return to North America given their lack of young organizational depth at the position. The 23-year-old will now look to regain some offensive confidence overseas in Malmö, where he joins a blue line headlined by former Islanders depth piece Robin Salo.

Five Key Stories: 6/16/25 – 6/22/25

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The Stanley Cup has been awarded with the Florida Panthers taking home the prize for the second straight year.  With the trophy now handed out, the offseason is in full effect and as is often the case, there was an influx of activity around the hockey world soon after that; the most notable news is recapped in our key stories.

Extensions: Some players have elected to not test free agency and instead signed new deals.  Among those was Blackhawks forward Ryan Donato who accepted a four-year, $16MM contract on the heels of a career year.  He entered the year with a career best of 31 points and finished it with a 31-goal, 31-assist campaign.  Rather than hit the open market, Donato decided to stay where things are going well and if he even comes close to this production moving forward, Chicago will do quite well here.  Meanwhile, Senators pending restricted free agent Fabian Zetterlund inked a three-year, $12.825MM pact.  Acquired from San Jose at the trade deadline, he reached the 40-point mark for the second straight season.  The deal buys Ottawa one more year of club control while Zetterlund will be able to hit the open market as a 28-year-old in 2028.

Coming Home: After missing the last two seasons due to Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, veteran center Jonathan Toews is returning to the NHL.  He’ll be doing so with his hometown team as he signed a one-year deal with the Jets.  The deal carries a $2MM base salary along with $5MM in potential performance bonuses based on games played and Winnipeg’s playoff success.  Notably, he’ll receive $550K for reaching the 20, 40, 60, and 80 games mark while making $500K for 50 games played and Winnipeg making the playoffs.  Toews spent the first 15 seasons of his career with Chicago, winning three Stanley Cups along the way while notching 883 points in 1,067 games.  It would be unrealistic to expect Toews to be a top point-producer at the age of 37 after being off for two years but he might be able to give Winnipeg a boost on the second line, a spot they’ve continually tried to find someone to fill in recent years.

Staying In Dallas: Another prominent pending UFA center took himself off the market as the Stars re-signed Matt Duchene to a four-year, $18MM contract.  The 34-year-old is actually coming off one of the best seasons of his career after putting up 82 points in 82 games this season, including a career-best 50 assists.  Had he gone to the open market, he was likely to land offers of several million more per year but he also would have priced himself out of what the Stars can afford.  Instead, Duchene got the long-term security he was seeking after playing on two straight one-year deals while the Stars get to keep the veteran on a below-market deal.  Technically, Duchene will be making more than that over the life of the contract as he’s still owed $1.55MM per season from Nashville for each of the next four years following the buyout of his contract with them back in 2023.

Winger Swaps: Needing to open up money following the Duchene re-signing, the Stars quickly moved winger Mason Marchment to Seattle for a 2026 third-round pick and Dallas’s 2025 fourth-round pick (previously acquired).  Marchment has two years left on his deal worth $4.5MM per season and has put 100 points over the last two years so the Kraken get some solid secondary scoring and some physicality at a pretty low price.  Meanwhile, to make room for him on the wing, the Kraken then flipped winger Andre Burakovsky to Chicago for center Joe Veleno.  Burakovsky has two years on his contract at $5.5MM per season and will look to rebound offensively after failing to notch 40 points in any of his three years with the Kraken.  Veleno, meanwhile, joins his third team in less than four months and is likely to play in Seattle’s bottom six next season if he’s still with them at that time.

First Players Named For Olympics: While the start of the next Winter Olympics is more than seven months away, the first six players for each country needed to be named this week.  Seven of the top ten NHL scorers from this season were among those named with the notable omissions being Canada’s Mitch Marner and USA’s Kyle Connor (Nikita Kucherov led the NHL in points but Russia will not be taking part in the event).  This will be the first time that NHL players play in the Olympics since 2014 and the tournament will begin on February 11th.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports.

Atlantic Notes: Giroux, Geekie, Tkachuk

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Earlier this weekend, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in his latest 32 Thoughts column that the Senators and Claude Giroux were battling over the bonus structure of his next deal.  However, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch adds that at this point, the base salary is still being worked on as well, with the belief that Giroux’s camp is looking for a salary around teammate David Perron’s $4MM; Ottawa is coming in below that.  As long as the 37-year-old signs a one-year contract, Giroux is eligible for performance incentives, including games played, points, and team playoff success.  While his days of being a top-line option are long gone, Giroux still projects as one of the better options available in free agency coming off a 50-point season.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Bruins forward Morgan Geekie told Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe that discussions on a new contract have been “pretty preliminary” so far. The 26-year-old was non-tendered the last time he was a pending restricted free agent, signing a two-year, $4MM deal with Boston that proved to be quite a bargain.  Geekie had 39 points in 2023-24 and then followed that up with a 33-goal, 57-point effort this season.  That could push his price tag past the $5MM mark on a multi-year deal this time around.  He’s arbitration-eligible but with hearings generally running from July 20 to August 4, it’s possible that Boston’s plan is to simply let him file for arbitration late next week and then start to have more substantive discussions on a new agreement at that time.
  • After playing through a torn adductor muscle for the entire postseason, Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk told reporters including Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald that he is 50-50 in terms of whether he’ll need surgery or not. He will take the next few weeks to let the injury heal on its own and then see if he’ll need to go under the knife.  If surgery is needed, it could put Tkachuk’s availability for the start of next season in question.  Despite the injury, he still managed to produce a point per game in Florida’s 23 playoff contests.

Free Agent Focus: Vegas Golden Knights

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Free agency is now less than two weeks away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Golden Knights.

Key Restricted Free Agents

D Nicolas Hague – Hague has been no stranger to the rumor mill in recent weeks with several teams believed to be inquiring about his services.  With Vegas looking to maximize its salary cap flexibility, it’s believed that the 26-year-old is available.  It wasn’t that long ago that Hague was viewed as a key young cog for the Golden Knights but while he started off his career in an encouraging fashion, his development has largely plateaued in recent years as he has settled in as more of a fifth or sixth defenseman.  He’s owed a qualifying offer of $2.7MM with arbitration eligibility and projects to earn a bit more than that, likely on a multi-year deal even coming off just a 12-point effort.

F Alexander Holtz – Things just have not gone as planned for the 2020 seventh-overall pick.  Unable to live up to expectations in New Jersey, Vegas picked him up last year in a draft-day swap with the thought that he’d build off the 28-point effort he had in 2023-24.  Instead, he struggled considerably, notching just 13 points in 53 games while being a healthy scratch at times and was even sent to AHL Henderson for a 16-game stint.  It’s unlikely that Vegas is ready to give up on Holtz just yet but a one-year deal at or around his $874K qualifying offer seems likely, giving him one more chance to lock down a spot.

F Cole Schwindt – A waiver claim from Calgary at the end of training camp, Schwindt stuck with the big club all season long but only got into 42 games, managing just eight points.  With less than 50 career NHL games under his belt, arbitration rights shouldn’t be too concerning for the Golden Knights so if they want to keep him around, they should feel comfortable extending the $840K qualifying offer.  If he winds up staying, it wouldn’t be surprising if that qualifying offer winds up being his next contract.

Other RFAs: D Lukas Cormier, F Raphael Lavoie, F Ivan Morozov (signed in Russia), F Jonas Rondbjerg, G Isaiah Saville

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Victor Olofsson – Olofsson elected to take a one-year, $1.075MM deal last summer with the Golden Knights in the hopes of rebuilding some of his value.  While injuries limited him to just 56 games, he did rebound somewhat, managing a respectable 15 goals and 14 assists despite seeing basically third-line minutes.  That’s not going to be enough to get him to what he made on his last deal when he was in Buffalo ($4.75MM) but it’s possible that he can get a multi-year deal somewhere around the $3MM range.  Olofsson had six goals with the man advantage this season; he has reached or beat that mark five times in the last six years, making him an intriguing option for teams looking for a little more firepower on the power play.

F Tanner Pearson – Pearson was one of the few players whose training camp tryout was successful as he inked a one-year deal for the minimum and gave them solid fourth-line minutes while staying healthy for the first time in several years.  Pearson probably is going to be viewed as someone earmarked for a similar role moving forward so his offers should come in at or around the $1MM mark.  But after having to play his way onto Vegas this season, he should have a bit more success on the open market this time around.

F Brandon Saad – After clearing waivers with St. Louis, Saad walked away from more than $5MM in guaranteed salary through next season in the hopes of finding another NHL opportunity.  That came with Vegas where he inked a pro-rated $1.5MM contract.  He fared reasonably well with them, notching 14 points in 29 games which is decent secondary scoring.  Now, he’ll look to recoup more of that money back on the open market but it would be surprising to see any offers come near his old $4.5MM AAV.  Something closer to half of that might be more realistic but he might be able to get a multi-year agreement out of it.

G Ilya Samsonov – Like Olofsson, Samsonov took a one-year deal last summer in the hopes of rebuilding some value following a particularly rough year in Toronto.  He probably didn’t hurt his value with a 2.82 GAA and a .891 SV% but he likely didn’t help it too much either and it has already been decided that he won’t be back in Vegas.  Coming off a $1.8MM contract, he could land something around a similar price tag this year but a multi-year commitment seems unlikely.

F Reilly Smith – Brought back for a second stint with the team in a trade with the Rangers at the trade deadline, Smith wasn’t able to produce at the same level as he did the first time around but, like Saad, provided decent secondary scoring.  Still, he has reached 40 points in each of the last two seasons so his camp may try to market the 34-year-old as a two-way middle-six option.  Coming off a $5MM AAV, it would be surprising to see him get a raise but his next contract might not be too much below that either.

Other UFAs: F Callahan Burke, F Mason Geertsen, D Robert Hagg (signed in SHL), D Dysin Mayo, F Mason Morelli, F Gage Quinney

Projected Cap Space

Vegas enters the summer with around $9.6MM in salary cap space which is better than it often has been for this franchise at this time of year.  However, they have a few players to sign with that money and they have been linked as a speculative landing spot for some of the more prominent pending unrestricted free agents.  They’ll need more cap space to do so, meaning a trade might be needed although the availability of Alex Pietrangelo for the start of next season is also in question.  If he’s going to be out long-term and the team goes back into LTIR, they could be in line to make a splash over the next few weeks.

Photos courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig (Hague) and Sergei Belski (Olofsson)-Imagn Images.  Contract info courtesy of PuckPedia.

Sabres Notes: Peterka, Byram, Samuelsson

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While NHL teams are preparing for the start of free agency, the Buffalo Sabres are actively working the phones on a few key potential trades, according to The Fourth Period.

The expectation is that general manager Kevyn Adams will be busy this week, with forward JJ Peterka at the top of the trade block rumor mill. Despite his youth, potential, and the fact that he seemingly fits perfectly into Buffalo’s long-term plans, Peterka is also considered an ideal candidate for a change of scenery.

While the Sabres appear to have hesitancy toward trading Peterka, the list of teams interested in his services continues to grow. And as Peterka nears restricted free agency, the Sabres are now more open to listening to offers for the 23-year-old, amidst the belief that Peterka’s preference would be to move on. Peterka set career highs this past season with 68 points, finishing tied for second on the team with defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, just behind forward Tage Thompson. The 23-year-old has increased his point total by 18 points in each of the last two seasons, and his stock is rising as he looks for his first long-term deal.

Elsewhere with the Sabres:

  • The league also appears to have significant interest in defender Bowen Byram, who originally joined the Sabres at the 2024 Trade Deadline in a one-for-one swap that sent center Casey Mittelstadt to the Colorado Avalanche. Byram was a staple in the Sabres’ top four during the 2024-25 season, playing all 82 games and averaging over 22 minutes per night. He also set career highs with 38 points and 116 blocked shots. While Byram has had some struggles in the defensive zone, his offensive upside and age make him an attractive option for teams looking to bolster their defensive core. Like Peterka, Byram is believed to be seeking a fresh start. Per The Fourth Period, the Sabres are not interested in moving either player for future assets and would prefer to receive NHL-ready talent in return.
  • The Fourth Period also notes that the Sabres are actively shopping defender Mattias Samuelsson, who put up 14 points in 62 games. The 25-year-old was selected by the Sabres in the second round of the 2018 draft and has played 212 games for the team over the course of five seasons. The 6’4″, 220-pound lefty has brought a physical presence to the Sabres over that span, posting more than 100 hits in each of the last four seasons, despite never playing more than the 62 games he suited up for last year. Samuelsson is entering the third year of a seven-year deal that carries a $4.285MM AAV.

Ducks Interested In Tavares, Boeser As Marner Backup

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While the Anaheim Ducks may be prepared to offer pending free agent Mitch Marner a record-breaking offer, the team is interested in several other additions if Marner signs elsewhere. This list includes veterans John Tavares and Brock Boeser, per The Fourth Period.

Anaheim holds more than $30MM in cap space (per PuckPedia), and ownership recently discussed the desire to build a Stanley Cup-caliber team as soon as possible, setting off speculation that they’ll aggressively pursue Marner. Yet with only one winner in that sweepstakes, the Ducks are also eyeing pending free agents like Tavares and Boeser to bolster their offense.

While Marner appears almost certain to leave Toronto, Tavares remains optimistic about re-signing with the Leafs. Still, at 36, he may view Anaheim’s cap-rich, rebuilding opportunity as perhaps his final shot at a big payday. After posting 38 goals last season (his most since the 2018-19 season), Tavares proved he still has a lot left in the tank. Although his next contract won’t match his current $11MM AAV, Tavares could still land a significant multi‑year deal if he tests the open market.

Anaheim is also among a host of teams reportedly tied to Boeser. As David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period reported, Boeser is a “longshot” to return to Vancouver, setting the stage for the 28-year-old sniper to hit the open market. While the interest in Boeser’s services appears lengthy, the type of deal he’ll command is a bit murkier than other pending free agents. Unlike Tavares, Boeser didn’t set the world on fire in his contract year. His goal total dropped from 40 during the 2023-24 season to just 25 last season. His points also fell by 23, and his plus/minus dropped from plus-23 to minus-25 year over year. Still, Boeser posted his sixth career season with at least 23 goals and remains on the right side of 30. The limited options in this free agent class also work to his advantage.

Heeding the turnaround desire from ownership, the Ducks have already had a busy offseason, including the hire of Joel Quenneville as head coach, trading for veteran forward Chris Kreider, and resigning pending restricted free agent Nikita Nesterenko. The team also faces a tough decision regarding goalie John Gibson, who has long been rumored to be on the trade block. Through it all, it’s expected that the Ducks will seek to add offensive firepower in free agency, with Tavares and/or Boeser potentially serving as solid backup options if they miss out on Marner.

Rangers Among Vladislav Gavrikov’s Preferred Destinations

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If Vladislav Gavrikov reaches the open market next week, there will be a high level of mutual interest between him and the Rangers. His preference remains to iron out an extension with the Kings, but if he’s unable to do so, New York is on a “short list of teams he is interested in joining,” writes David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.

Gavrikov has already been tagged as one of the Rangers’ top free-agent targets as they look to reshape a blue line that’s already undergone major surgery since the beginning of 2024-25. If signed, he would presumably come at the expense of pending RFA K’Andre Miller’s signing rights being traded elsewhere. New York has received strong interest on the trade market regarding the young defender, and with Gavrikov projected to command nearly $8MM per season on a long-term deal, they’d only have around $5MM in cap space left over after signing him with RFA winger William Cuylle in need of a new deal as well.

While Gavrikov’s puck-moving ability may be a step back from Miller’s ceiling, the veteran has been far more consistent over the past few years and offers greater defensive upside. That two-way presence – this past season was his second time hitting 30 points in his NHL career – combined with spectacular impacts and a willingness to get involved in the play physically would give Adam Fox the bona fide No. 2 defenseman and potential long-term partner he’s missed over the last few years with Ryan Lindgren’s decline and subsequent trade.

The Rangers would obviously end up paying a premium for Gavrikov’s services coming off a stellar platform year, but they’re in a position of need. There’s nothing resembling even a fringe first-pairing lefty in the organization, particularly if Miller isn’t re-upped, and Gavrikov has a highly desirable track record with his combination of heavy deployment and good two-way play over his six-year NHL career. Poor possession play has plagued the Rangers throughout the past few seasons, so much so that it may make more sense for new head coach Mike Sullivan to deploy Fox, who routinely boasts above-average possession impacts regardless of who his partner is, on a separate pairing from Gavrikov if he’s brought in.

Still, a long-term agreement with Gavrikov isn’t something the Rangers should rush into. They’ve had to make some undesirable cap dumps in the past few months because of similar moves. They already have two lengthy contracts on the books for defenders – Fox’s rather desirable $9.5MM cap hit through 2029 isn’t much of an issue, but William Borgen’s $4.1MM cap hit through 2030 could be a tricky one if he can’t manage to hold onto a consistent top-four role on the right side with the younger, more dynamic Braden Schneider breathing down his neck entering a contract year.

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