Columbus Blue Jackets evaluating Gavrikov trade market

On Jan 25, 2023

Vladislav Gavrikov is in the final season of a three-year contract extension he signed Nov. 5, 2020,

EDMONTON, Alberta – Vladislav Gavrikov is a popular guy at Rogers Arena.

The Blue Jackets’ pending free-agent defenseman met with Edmonton reporters after practice Tuesday and was asked if he was aware the Oilers had interest in acquiring him before the March 3 trade deadline. Stalled in talks about a contract extension with Columbus, Gavrikov has surfaced as an intriguing “rental” option for quality depth.

“I’ve heard some rumors,” Gavrikov said. “I prefer to live in the present because you never know, in the future, what’s going to happen. So, I don’t have to worry about it right now. I’m just trying to win every game and take (advantage) of the opportunity in front of me, and try to help my team to win. That’s about it.”

Gavrikov may know more than just “rumors.”

The Dispatch has confirmed recent reports about the Blue Jackets exploring trade scenarios involving him and that opposing teams are cleared to meet with Gavrikov and/or agent Dan Milstein.

Gavrikov, 27, is in the final season of a three-year contract extension he signed Nov. 5, 2020, as a restricted free agent. It carries a salary cap charge of $2.8 million, which is low for an experienced defenseman and makes him an intriguing target for playoff contenders. A scenario remains where the Blue Jackets opt to match Gavrikov’s best contract extension offer generated through trade discussions — allowing that process to set his free-agent market — but that isn’t likely.

The longer the season goes without an extension, the more likely a trade becomes.

The Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs are mentioned most in trade speculation, as both could stand to bolster their blue line before the deadline. Multiple NHL insiders have reported the Blue Jackets are hoping for a return similar to what they got in 2021 from the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenseman David Savard, which was a late first-round pick plus a third-round pick in that year’s draft.

Gavrikov is three years younger and has played 360 fewer games. He’s just going into his prime NHL years as a defenseman and brings a unique combination of size, skill and grit to a lineup.

“He’s a guy we rely on heavily,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. “The more games you have under your belt, it means you’re lasting when you’re tackling 20-plus minutes a night, (playing) penalty-kill and he’s even had a little bit of power play this year.”

Should a team acquire Gavrikov and reach a long-term extension agreement as part of the deal, that would increase the return package for Columbus. Either way, it would be difficult for the Blue Jackets to replace what they’d lose by trading him — even with a deep stable of prospects led by David Jiricek, the sixth overall pick in 2022.

“What jumps out is his heaviness,” Larsen said. “He knows what kind of player he is, but he’s sneaky offensively too. He’s just a steady guy we rely upon a lot.”

Columbus Blue Jackets rookie Liam Foudy seeking breakthrough

It didn’t take Liam Foudy long to record his first NHL point in 2020 as an emergency recall from the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. The 18^th pick in 2018 assisted on a goal by Boone Jenner in a 4-3 overtime loss at the Buffalo Sabres and followed it five months later with his first goal in a postseason series-clincher against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Foudy’s performance in those playoffs seemingly put him on a fast track for a regular lineup spot in Columbus, but it didn’t pan out. Injuries and inconsistency hampered the speedy forward’s development, and he’s now struggling to earn ice time while staying in the NHL primarily because the team’s front office doesn’t want to risk placing him on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the American Hockey League.

Foudy has three assists in 27 games and is still looking to score his first career NHL regular-season goal (54 games).