Typically, the closer the NHL trade deadline looms, the more desperate teams behave. That works on either end of the equation, too. For sellers, asking prices tend to drop, as they prefer obtaining some return over no return. For buyers, it means the exact opposite. Fewer and fewer options remain available as other trades take place, so the willingness to pay a hefty asking price slowly ticks upwards. In the case of the Columbus Blue Jackets, however, they hope to buck that trend. Rather than drop the asking price, Columbus wants the same large return in any potential Vladislav Gavrikov trade.
NHL Rumours: Blue Jackets Keep High Asking Price for Gavrikov Trade
On the most recent episode of Insider Trading, NHL insider Chris Johnston noted that teams around the league experience some surprise when they hear what Columbus wants the return to be in a Gavrikov trade. At least one team this week heard Columbus wants three draft picks. Of those picks, one falls within the first round. The other two were supposedly a third and fourth-rounder.
Chris Johnston on Insider Trading says there is some sticker shock on the price for Gavrikov and CBJ are not budging on the ask, they’d like 3 draft picks: 1st, 3rd and a 4th, at least one team was told this week. He’s a pending UFA & doesn’t seem interested in talking extension.
— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) February 14, 2023
Currently in his fourth year at the NHL level, Gavrikov has logged 256 games with Columbus to date. The franchise drafted him back in 2015 with their sixth-round selection. The 6’3, 221-pound blueliner owns a stat line with 15 goals, 58 assists and 73 career points. This season, he collected three goals and seven assists for ten total points in 52 games played.
Year over year, Gavrikov developed his game and expanded his role within the Blue Jackets organization. He averages 22:20 per night this season, a number that steadily increased each season since his rookie campaign. His large frame and defensive mentality make him a staple on the Blue Jackets penalty kill. He begins over two-thirds of his shifts in the defensive zone, illustrating the trust his coaches have in his play within their blue line.
What This Means for the Future
Frankly speaking, any other team with a defenceman on the trade block should keep an eye on this situation. If a Gavrikov trade can haul in three draft picks, with one in the first round too, the asking price for similar defencemen should be just as high. And for those blueliners considered a notch or two stronger than Gavrikov? If he commands three picks, Jakob Chychrun should net double that in his trade.
The strategy will either help teams rake in more assets for their trade chips, or it will simply negate any chances of Gavrikov getting traded. After all, every other team becomes more desperate with each passing minute. Though Gavrikov plays a big and physical style of hockey, plenty of other statistics go against him. His possession numbers fall in the negative, where they ranked across every year of his career. He’s a UFA this summer too, making any Gavrikov trade a rental unless they extend him before the end of the season.
For a first-round pick and more, teams want a difference-maker. Gavrikov might not do enough of that to justify a trade of this magnitude.
Photo Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
