There's every reason for New York Rangers fans to be excited about the signing of Vladislav Gavrikov , the ostensible top-pair, stay-at-home defenseman the club desperately craved going into the offseason.
After all, Gavrikov didn't come just for the money – he accepted a discounted seven-year, $49 million contract that numerous clubs would have been willing to surpass, perhaps by as much as $2 million more per season. It was a clear indicator that location was a big factor for the 29-year-old, who wanted to play his home games at Madison Square Garden and was willing to take less from the salary cap-challenged Rangers to do so.
As much as Gavrikov's presence should positively impact the Rangers blue line and thus, their team defense, the strong value the club is getting from the deal would be diminished somewhat if his acquisition only leads to the top pair improving next season. That's why moving Braden Schneider up to the second defense pair is crucial to the club creating a much better and deeper alignment through its three sets of defensemen in 2025-26.
Simply put, the Rangers must get Schneider, the 19th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, off the third pair and into the top four, on the left side of either Will Borgen or Adam Fox . Playing someone whom the organization views as a pillar of its future for about 15 minutes per game, most of that coming against opponents' bottom-six forward lines, is an inefficient use of the player and theoretically weakens the blue line.
Related: How Vladislav Gavrikov fits Rangers shift to 'quieter' defense
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Schneider was relegated to the bottom pair last season after the December acquisition of Borgen, who slotted in behind Fox on the right side. That may not have been the worst scenario, since it turned out Schneider required offseason surgery for a torn labrum that hindered him for the better part of three seasons. With the soon-to-be 24-year-old expected to be fully recovered for training camp, however, the Rangers are hoping Schneider can take an awaited leap in his fifth NHL season.
New York's best options to man the left side behind Gavrikov, other than the right-shooting Schneider, profile as third-pair players on a playoff contender. Veteran Carson Soucy , acquired from the Vancouver Canucks last season, brings size and compete to the back end. The 30-year-old, though, just doesn't belong on the second pair and was scratched somewhat regularly by former coach Peter Laviolette in 2024-25.
The same holds true for Urho Vaakanainen , the 26-year-old obtained in the Jacob Trouba trade with the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 6, was steady and reliable in 46 games for the Rangers last season. But he doesn;t project to be a top-four regular. Either he or Soucy slots in perfectly on the left side of the third pair.
That only works with Schneider moving to his off (left) side in the top four. His strong five-game performance as Trouba's left-side partner to start the season, necessitated by injury to the since-traded Ryan Lindgren , showed that the alignment was a comfortable one for Schneider. He and Trouba posted a 52.8 expected goal share, per Natural Stat Trick .
Schneider could either take Lindgren's spot as Fox's new long-term partner, allowing the Rangers to build a potential shutdown pairing of Gavrikov and Borgen, or be teamed with Borgen in what should be a strong, physical duo. Whatever arrangement new coach Mike Sullivan wants to go with, switching Schneider to the left side gives Sullivan multiple options and has the Rangers four top defenseman actually comprising the team's top four.
Related: Get to know newest Rangers prospect Scott Morrow after trade with Hurricanes
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There's a secondary benefit to Schneider vacating the right side on the third pair – it allows Scott Morrow, the 22-year-old defenseman obtained in the K'Andre Miller trade with the Carolina Hurricanes , to potentially win the job. Morrow, a right-handed shot, was one of Carolina's top prospects, but must prove he can play adequately in his own end of the ice to become an NHL regular.
Morrow is raw, but he's a highly-skilled puck mover who put up 47 points in 52 games in the American Hockey League as a rookie pro last season. The second-round pick in the 2021 draft added six points in 14 games with the Hurricanes in 2024-25.
If Morrow can seize the open third-pair spot on the right side, which would allow him to develop at the NHL level in shielded matchups, the Rangers would add more offense behind Fox on the blue line. Should he not be ready for the assignment, the versatile Soucy can move to the right on the third pair, with Vaakanainen or perhaps rookie Matthew Robertson handling the left side. That still amounts to a decent third-pair alignment, with Schneider playing up from the pairing on which he doesn't belong anymore.
If the Rangers do this right, Gavrikov's arrival will amount to solving half the puzzle. A permanent Schneider promotion to the top four on the left side – which worked perhaps better than anyone expected, albeit in a limited trial, last season – can be the other half of the Blueshirts offseason project to remake their defense. If the blue line can transform into a unit that puts last season's leaky efforts in its own zone in the past, it could go a long way toward helping the Rangers return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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