It seemed as if Vladislav Gavrikov had his sights set on the New York Rangers all along, but there was actually one other team on his radar.
According to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, Gavrikov was also interested in joining the Florida Panthers, but the Panthers did not have the salary cap space to bring the veteran defenseman on board, especially after re-signing Aaron Ekblad to an eight-year, $60 million contract extension.
The Los Angeles Kings were negotiating a contract extension with Gavrikov basically up until the free agency window opened on July 1.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Rangers and Kings were even discussing a potential sign-and-trade involving Gavrikov, but it reportedly fell apart.
Ultimately, Gavrikov hit the open market and quickly signed a seven-year, $49 million contract with the Rangers.
