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New York Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Chris Drury's heaping praise on Vladislav Gavrikov gives look into Rangers' mindset
Chris Drury is as circumspect as they come, but the Rangers general manager sure said a mouthful when he was asked Wednesday during a Zoom news briefing why the team targeted Vladislav Gavrikov when the free agent market opened at noon on Tuesday. Access the Rangers beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mollie Walker about the inside buzz on the Rangers. tRY IT NOW 'We've liked Gavvy for a long time, watching him play for Columbus and LA and the attributes he's going to bring to our D-corps for many years to come have us very excited,' Drury said of the 29-year-old, 6-foot-3, 220-pound lefty who signed a seven-year deal worth an AAV of $7 million. 'He's a big shutdown defense with the qualities of an elite shutdown guy.' Advertisement OK, that was pretty routine and boilerplate stuff. What came a few minutes later was not that at all. 'To me it starts in our D-zone,' the GM said. 'D-zone coverage, defending, certainly defending in high-danger areas which we were, simply put, not good at last year. We have to be better in our zone and we have to better in front of [goaltenders Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick]. 'And that's the mindset [Gavrikov] shows up with every single day. The size, the reach, the competitiveness, the way he defends, the way he's able to complement his partner, that's what excited of all of in targeting this player. We're thrilled to have him as a key part of the D-corps.' Advertisement 3 Chris Drury of the Rangers poses with new head coach Mike Sullivan. Robert Sabo for NY Post Defense, defense, defense will be incoming head coach Mike Sullivan and the staff's first, second and third priority after the Blueshirts bled out in their own end a year ago with metrics that universally ranked in the league's nether regions. Drury would not usurp Sullivan's right to make out the lineup card, so he did not state that Gavrikov was brought here to partner with Adam Fox on the first pair. But that is also exactly why Gavrikov was brought here. They did not invest $49 million in Gavrikov so he could play on the second unit. If there is one combination that can be etched into stone for October, it will be Gavrikov and Fox on the first pair. Advertisement 3 Vladislav Gavrikov of the Los Angeles Kings skates during the second period of the game against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on April 14, 2025, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. NHLI via Getty Images Drury addressed the trades of both Chris Kreider and K'Andre Miller, the latter sent to Carolina on Tuesday on a sign-and-trade in which the Blueshirts got a 2026 first- and second-rounder plus 22-year-old right defenseman Scott Morrow while the one-time No. 79 got an eight-year, $60 million deal ($7.5M per) from Carolina. Or, as the 25-year-old Miller said on a Zoom call hosted by the Canes, 'It was a great day for me and my family — life changing. 'Me and my mom are not only set for life, but extremely happy for the position we are in.' Advertisement The Rangers did not feel comfortable committing to Miller long term and it was unrealistic for him to play on a one-year contract. As with the Kreider scenario, we're told that Drury and Miller's camp were in constant communication over the past month. According to a source, 'It was never adversarial.' 'There are a lot of moving parts to every situation and for this one as well. K'Andre is a terrific young player, but I think when you have a young player a year or a couple of years away from [unrestricted] free agency, it's not always the easiest thing to come to an agreement for a long-term contract,' Drury said. 'We just felt at this time it was best to allow him to explore another opportunity and it kind of came together.' Speaking publicly for the first time since Kreider was sent to Anaheim on June 12, the GM did not get into the weeds of why the club's longest-tenured player was sent away other than alluding to cap constraints. Read the expert take on the Blueshirts Sign up for Larry Brooks' Inside the Rangers, a weekly Sports+ exclusive. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters 'A Rangers legend in every way and I can't thank him enough for all his contributions on and off the ice,' Drury said of the franchise's third all-time leading goal scorer (336). 'He will always be a Ranger in my eyes and I think in a lot of our fans' eyes as well.' The Blueshirts have approximately $1.5 million in space with a 22-man shadow roster (13+7+2) that includes Taylor Raddysh, the 27-year-old winger who signed a two-year free agent deal worth $1.5 million per after spending the season with Washington. Raddysh will likely enter camp with a leg up on young'uns Brett Berard and Brennan Othmann as a third-liner. 3 Vladislav Gavrikov of the Los Angeles Kings battles for position against Trent Frederic of the Edmonton Oilers during the first overtime period of Game Four of the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. NHLI via Getty Images Advertisement The roster also includes Scott Morrow, the 22-year-old right defenseman who came back in the deal for Miller and does not include Matthew Robertson. The composition of the defense — ideally, Braden Schneider and Will Borgen on the second pair with Carson Soucy or Urho Vaakanainen with Morrow on the third pair — will be determined at camp. And the roster will be impacted by the decision whether to deploy Mika Zibanejad on the right or stack centers J.T. Miller, Vincent Trocheck and Zibanejad. If No. 93 is on the right, then the third-line center position likely will be contested between Juuso Parssinen, Brendan Brisson and perhaps Dylan Roobroeck. But if Zibanejad is in the middle, there will be an opportunity for Gabe Perreault or another younger prospect to earn a top six spot on right wing. The Rangers don't have meaningful enough cap space to do much other than fiddle on the margins. Maybe there will be a training camp tryout or two. So what you see is pretty much what you'll get. And regardless who goes where with whom, it will all start with the back end.
Calgary Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Michael Pezzetta knows the road to a job with Leafs will be hard
Article content Before Michael Pezzetta gets in one regular-season fight on behalf of his Maple Leaf teammates, he'll have to battle his way onto the team. Article content That's not news to the 6-foot-1 left winger, whose playing time with the Montreal Canadiens was limited last year, getting no points in 25 games with 24 penalty minutes. But sitting around his old room while contract details were being ironed out this week, he paused to look at his Mats Sundin and Curtis Joseph Toronto-era posters. Article content 'I'm thinking 'how crazy is this?,' Pezzetta said Wednesday on a Zoom call with Toronto media. 'It's a life-long dream of mine. First-time free agency and I had the option to go elsewhere, but couldn't pass this up. Article content Article content 'They have a great team and I want to earn my roster spot. I know that come camp time, it's not just a given that I have a spot. The style of game I play is different than a lot of the guys and hopefully that can be an 'X' factor.' Article content A couple of years ago, Pezzetta led the Canadiens in hits and was 10th in the NHL as well as chipping in points. But while Montreal made strides as a team in 2024-25, and Pezzetta did well defensively, he found it hard to get noticed. Article content 'Kind of a weird year, being in and out of the lineup with nothing really going my way,' he said. 'In years prior, I was pretty steady getting my 10 to 15 points and I'm confident I can do that again. Article content Article content 'Part of my game is being someone who is hard to play against, defensively responsible, whom the coach can trust. But then you're going out there and try to change the game with a big hit or a good forecheck, change the energy, on the bench and in the room.' Article content Article content The sixth-round pick in 2016 says he's always been a big off-season worker in terms of conditioning and improving any weak parts of his game. Article content Article content 'It wasn't easy, it took five or six years to get in my first exhibition game with Montreal. But when I did, I was ready for it because I put in all the work.' Article content A couple of his 14 NHL fights came against warhorse Ryan Reaves, now a potential teammate whom he'll likely have to contend with for a bottom six role. Article content 'No hard feelings,' Pezzetta assured. 'A few guys have to do their job and any time you meet guys like that off the ice, they tend to be the nicest. I look forward to meeting him and all the rest of the guys.' Article content After the two-year deal at an $810,500 AAV, the GTHL grad Pezzetta posted an Instagram picture of he and his brother as kids, decked out in Toronto togs. Article content 'We were a Leafs household. That was our first Christmas getting our Leafs' jerseys. It's hard not to get stoked about playing for the Leafs when you're from Toronto. My mom is super-stoked that I get to stay home. It has been a while.' Article content
Edmonton Journal
3 days ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Michael Pezzetta knows the road to a job with Leafs will be hard
Article content Before Michael Pezzetta gets in one regular-season fight on behalf of his Maple Leaf teammates, he'll have to battle his way onto the team. Article content That's not news to the 6-foot-1 left winger, whose playing time with the Montreal Canadiens was limited last year, getting no points in 25 games with 24 penalty minutes. But sitting around his old room while contract details were being ironed out this week, he paused to look at his Mats Sundin and Curtis Joseph Toronto-era posters. Article content 'I'm thinking 'how crazy is this?,' Pezzetta said Wednesday on a Zoom call with Toronto media. 'It's a life-long dream of mine. First-time free agency and I had the option to go elsewhere, but couldn't pass this up. Article content Article content 'They have a great team and I want to earn my roster spot. I know that come camp time, it's not just a given that I have a spot. The style of game I play is different than a lot of the guys and hopefully that can be an 'X' factor.' Article content A couple of years ago, Pezzetta led the Canadiens in hits and was 10th in the NHL as well as chipping in points. But while Montreal made strides as a team in 2024-25, and Pezzetta did well defensively, he found it hard to get noticed. Article content 'Kind of a weird year, being in and out of the lineup with nothing really going my way,' he said. 'In years prior, I was pretty steady getting my 10 to 15 points and I'm confident I can do that again. Article content Article content 'Part of my game is being someone who is hard to play against, defensively responsible, whom the coach can trust. But then you're going out there and try to change the game with a big hit or a good forecheck, change the energy, on the bench and in the room.' Article content The sixth-round pick in 2016 says he's always been a big off-season worker in terms of conditioning and improving any weak parts of his game. Article content Article content 'It wasn't easy, it took five or six years to get in my first exhibition game with Montreal. But when I did, I was ready for it because I put in all the work.' Article content A couple of his 14 NHL fights came against warhorse Ryan Reaves, now a potential teammate whom he'll likely have to contend with for a bottom six role. Article content 'No hard feelings,' Pezzetta assured. 'A few guys have to do their job and any time you meet guys like that off the ice, they tend to be the nicest. I look forward to meeting him and all the rest of the guys.' Article content After the two-year deal at an $810,500 AAV, the GTHL grad Pezzetta posted an Instagram picture of he and his brother as kids, decked out in Toronto togs. Article content 'We were a Leafs household. That was our first Christmas getting our Leafs' jerseys. It's hard not to get stoked about playing for the Leafs when you're from Toronto. My mom is super-stoked that I get to stay home. It has been a while.' Article content
Ottawa Citizen
3 days ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Michael Pezzetta knows the road to a job with Leafs will be hard
Article content Before Michael Pezzetta gets in one regular-season fight on behalf of his Maple Leaf teammates, he'll have to battle his way onto the team. Article content That's not news to the 6-foot-1 left winger, whose playing time with the Montreal Canadiens was limited last year, getting no points in 25 games with 24 penalty minutes. But sitting around his old room while contract details were being ironed out this week, he paused to look at his Mats Sundin and Curtis Joseph Toronto-era posters. Article content 'I'm thinking 'how crazy is this?,' Pezzetta said Wednesday on a Zoom call with Toronto media. 'It's a life-long dream of mine. First-time free agency and I had the option to go elsewhere, but couldn't pass this up. Article content Article content 'They have a great team and I want to earn my roster spot. I know that come camp time, it's not just a given that I have a spot. The style of game I play is different than a lot of the guys and hopefully that can be an 'X' factor.' Article content A couple of years ago, Pezzetta led the Canadiens in hits and was 10th in the NHL as well as chipping in points. But while Montreal made strides as a team in 2024-25, and Pezzetta did well defensively, he found it hard to get noticed. Article content 'Kind of a weird year, being in and out of the lineup with nothing really going my way,' he said. 'In years prior, I was pretty steady getting my 10 to 15 points and I'm confident I can do that again. Article content Article content 'Part of my game is being someone who is hard to play against, defensively responsible, whom the coach can trust. But then you're going out there and try to change the game with a big hit or a good forecheck, change the energy, on the bench and in the room.' Article content The sixth-round pick in 2016 says he's always been a big off-season worker in terms of conditioning and improving any weak parts of his game. Article content Article content 'It wasn't easy, it took five or six years to get in my first exhibition game with Montreal. But when I did, I was ready for it because I put in all the work.' Article content A couple of his 14 NHL fights came against warhorse Ryan Reaves, now a potential teammate whom he'll likely have to contend with for a bottom six role. Article content 'No hard feelings,' Pezzetta assured. 'A few guys have to do their job and any time you meet guys like that off the ice, they tend to be the nicest. I look forward to meeting him and all the rest of the guys.' Article content After the two-year deal at an $810,500 AAV, the GTHL grad Pezzetta posted an Instagram picture of he and his brother as kids, decked out in Toronto togs. Article content 'We were a Leafs household. That was our first Christmas getting our Leafs' jerseys. It's hard not to get stoked about playing for the Leafs when you're from Toronto. My mom is super-stoked that I get to stay home. It has been a while.' Article content
Vancouver Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Edmonton Oilers free-agent signing Andrew Mangiapane looks to fill top-six spot
It used to be that the twain never met in the hated Battle of Alberta, where the motto was Once an Oiler, Always an Oiler and Go Flames Go, but now it's pretty routine that players wear both jerseys at some time in their career. Mike Smith, Derek Ryan, Brett Kulak, of recent vintage. And now we bring you Andrew Mangiapane , who may have been Mathew Tkachuk Lite in OilerNation when it came to pests you disliked in his six full seasons with Calgary, but now he's bringing those traits to Edmonton after the 29-year-old winger signed his two-year free-agent deal for a $3.6 million AAV. 'He's not the most fun guy to play against,' said Oiler GM Stan Bowman. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. All good, but that's not just why the Oilers, used most of the Viktor Arvidsson $4 million AAV they moved on to Boston to bring in Mangiapane, whom they figure (also hope) is a better fit in the top six, specifically with Leon Draisaitl, than Arvidsson was in his one season here after signing his UFA deal last July. 'Starting offensively, he's got the ability to play in our top 6 and has experience playing left and right-wing, so there's flexibility there, whether he's going to play with (Connor) McDavid or Draisaitl. We can try him on both lines,' said Bowman. Of course, they said the same about Arvidsson (flexibility) when he signed a year ago, if we want to play devil's advocate, and it just didn't work. But Mangiapane is younger and harder to play against (sandpaper). 'We don't know which centre Andrew will mesh the best with, but we know it'll be one of those two. We definitely see him on our top two lines, and we know he can play on the powerplay (second unit most likely),' said Bowman. 'He checks a lot of boxes with our group,' said Bowman, well aware Draisaitl had Vasily Podkolzin on LW for much of the season, and a revolving set of right-wingers. Podkolzin, who did yeoman grunt work digging pucks out along the boards to keep plays going, could move back in the lineup, and maybe Trent Frederic gets a look on RW, if he's not tried as 3C, with Adam Henrique a swing guy at C and wing. 'I expect the sixth top-six forward to come from internally. We had Podkolzin there and Kasperi Kapanen (RW) for stretches, and I expect (farmhand) Matt Savoie to be on the team and play a role. We've also got (Czech-born) David Tomasek (Swedish Hockey League scoring champion) coming in. I wouldn't expect to add (signing) another top-six player,' said Bowman. Mangiapane, who was part of Alex Ovechkin's goal chase last season with the Washington Capitals, but slotted in a bottom six role there, is all for the idea of playing with 29, or maybe 97, although Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (LW) and Zach Hyman (RW) seem to have those winger spots locked up, for now. 'It'll be fun to participate in the Battle of Alberta again, obviously,' said the 5-foot-10, 183-pound Mangiapane, who never shied away from confrontation in his games against the Oilers, even at his size. He's a greasy player, and we say that in a good way. 'Edmonton's got a really good team, obviously…you want to come in and help get them over the finish line (Stanley Cup after two straight finals).' Mangiapane, always a confident player, isn't shying away from playing with Draisaitl, the Hart trophy runner-up to Connor Hellebuyck, or maybe McDavid. Somewhere in the top six. 'Yes, I can definitely see that. Last year was a down year for me but I think I can get right back to what I can do,' said Mangiapane, who had 14 goals and 28 points with Capitals but once had a 35-goal-season with Flames in 2021-22, which looks to maybe be an outlier but conservatively he's a 20-20 (40-point player here. And quite possibly a 25-goal, 60-point player with Draisaitl, if they click. 'I think the fans here, watching me in Calgary, know what I'm capable of. Looking at this roster, there's a lot of good players here…I can move up and down (line up). But I think there will be good fits no matter where the coach (Kris Knoblauch) puts me,' he said. His strength is getting in on defencemen, working the boards, keeping plays alive, much like Kailer Yamamoto did here with Draisaitl, but a bigger body. 'He can play a give-and-go game…he's an active player, a competitive player,' said Bowman. 'With Andrew, you notice his ability to impact the game in a number of different ways, and he can kill penalties.' No argument from Mangiapane. 'My game has always been a tenacious one, trying to get in there and start things… hit guys on the fore-check, be in some scrums. Be involved that way. Over the years, I've tried to play on that line, aggravating guys, annoying players. That's what makes me successful,' he admitted. He should see some special teams play, for sure. On the second power play because Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman have reservations on the top one with 97 and 29 and Evan Bouchard on the point. But, with Connor Brown signing in New Jersey, he could take up some of his PK minutes. 'Hopefully, I'll get an opportunity to be used in all situations,' said Mangiapane. Playing with Draisaitl or McDavid is daunting for most guys. But Mangiapane is ready for it, with chemistry hopefully building. 'It's not easy (with these two phenomenal players), but you just try to play your game, and I'm sure they (coaches) want that as well. They (Draisaitl and McDavid) want the puck as much as I do. When the play's there, you make the pass, or when the shot's there, you shoot the puck. You can't over-complicate it,' he said. Mangiapane knows what hockey's like in Canada, and especially here in Edmonton with McDavid and Draisaitl, getting to the finals twice and falling just short in the losses to Florida. But he's embracing the opportunity. 'It's an exciting time to be an Oiler, playing in that Canadian market,' he said. 'That comes with pressure from the fans, and I don't think you can block that out, if I'm being honest. I'm a guy who watches TV, lots of hockey. I'm on all the apps,' he said. He also loved all the hype around Ovechkin overtaking Wayne Gretzky to become the greatest scorer of them all, loved the ringside seat. 'A really cool season, so surreal,' he said. 'I was a little shy, nervous, going there, meeting him…he's been around for so long, breaking all these records. But me being part of his chase, on a really good team, was a cool experience. Every time the team was on the road felt like a home game, everybody was chanting his name,' said Mangiapane. Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.
