New York Rangers' Top Defensive Free-Agent Target To Come At Steep Buy-In

Rumors remain regarding the Rangers acquiring defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov during this year's free agency, which begins on July 1st.

The team needs someone who could bolster the lineup on the left, and Gavrikov has been a target of the Rangers, according to both Elliotte Friedman and Arthur Staple.

Since then, we've been speculating on different scenarios on what it would take to acquire the Kings' defenseman in free agency.

But The Hockey Writers' Remy Mastey goes into a deep dive into what he believes it'll cost the Rangers to acquire him.

While Gavrikov would be a great addition and could be exactly what the team needs to stabilize the left side of the defense, it comes at a cost.

According to NHL Insider Frank Seravalli, he believes that Gavrikov's contract demands could come in at an AAV of $8 million over the next eight years.

It'd be risky to trade K'Andre Miller and then swoop in and sign Gavrikov, but that could be one scenario that plays out for the Rangers and Chris Drury.

Given how weak the Rangers' defense has been lately, Gavrikov, a 29-year-old Russian who has suited up for both the Los Angeles Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets, could be what is needed to make the team well-rounded.

Of course, he'd be one piece of the puzzle that the Rangers are currently missing.

Is he worth $8 million over eight years? We'll see in July.