With the summer flying by, the New York Rangers will soon be getting ready for the upcoming campaign. Following a tough year, the team will be hoping to be much better.
The 2025-26 campaign was certainly a forgettable one for the Rangers. New York came into the offseason with the goal of being a much-improved team. After two straight years of missing the playoffs, the pressure was undoubtedly on Chris Drury to do a good job .
Fortunately, it appears like he did and the team is on their way toward being better next season. While the retool will still be a work in progress, New York should be putting a better product on the ice next year.
While being healthy will be key, the Rangers have made some significant upgrades in a couple of key areas. Recently, there has been a major focus on improving the blueline, and that continued this summer.
The additions of Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson should greatly improve the second pair, but it is the first-pair that will be really appealing to watch with a healthy Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov .
Gavrikov signed a big deal last summer to join the Rangers and had a solid year despite his expected running mate on the first line missing time. Now, as the duo heads into year two together, it will be interesting to see what they can accomplish.
Apr 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center J.T. Miller (8) talks with defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov (44) before a face-off against the Washington Capitals during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Due to Fox missing so much time, it was Gavrikov that had to step into a bit of a bigger role than he or the team likely expected. The Rangers didn't have good depth behind Fox to replace his production, and a lot fell on the shoulders of Gavrikov.
However, after coming off a really strong year with the Los Angeles Kings during the 2024-25 campaign, he was able to perform well for the Rangers as well.
The 30-year-old totaled a career-high in points with 35 and also goals with 14. Gavrikov blew away his previous career-high in goals, and he did an excellent job for New York at getting the puck in the net.
Now, as he starts to prepare for next season, there could be a bit of a drop in his offensive production, assuming Fox is healthy. The veteran of the Rangers is one of the best defensemen in the league when on the ice and can be a point-per-game caliber player.
Even though that could take away some of the offensive stats for Gavrikov, this duo should be very good.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nhl/rangers/onsi as Predicting Stats for NY Rangers' Vladislav Gavrikov in 2026-27 Campaign .
