The Rangers acquired Vladislav Gavrikov for his minutes-guzzling abilities and shutdown defenseman tendencies.
The borderline offensive weapon he’s become since his first season in New York, however, is an underrated bonus the Blueshirts are reaping.
“He was out west for a bit, so you don’t really get to watch those guys,” his D partner Adam Fox told Sports+ after Tuesday’s win at Madison Square Garden. “Obviously, we knew what he could bring defensively, but he’s got that offensive game to him.
“I think he’s pretty smart with his ability to make plays and even put pucks to the net. I think he gets a lot of goals, a lot of backdoor looks, just finding those lanes. It’s fun for me to play sometimes with the blue line give-and-goes with him and stuff like that. He’s had a couple tip goals and stuff like that. I think his defensive game’s really good, and that offensive side is obviously coming out more often.”