Top NHL free-agent defenseman for Rangers to consider after massive Jakob Chychrun contract

Vladislav Gavrikov is 29, a top-pair left-shot defensemen in the midst of a terrific season as a stalwart on the Los Angeles Kings blue line. It’d be hard to imagine they’ll let him reach free agency, but if he does, Gavrikov is arguably the best player available at the position. He’s big (6-foot-3, 220 pounds), durable, plays more than 23 minutes a night and has some offensive skill on top of impressive defensive chops. He’s likely going to command a lot of coin as a UFA, but, boy, he’d look good next to Adam Fox on the Rangers top pair.

Ivan Provorov tops many free-agent lists for good reason. He turned 28 in January, is a skilled left-shot who plays on the top pair and averages more than 23 minutes TOI per game, and has recorded as many 41 points in a season (he has 30 in 70 games in 2024-25). The Columbus Blue Jackets held on to him ahead of the trade deadline and are trying to sign him before free agency. Like Gavrikov, he’s going to land a big deal.

Now here’s an intriguing option for the Rangers. Dante Fabbro was kind of picked up off the scrap heap from the Nashville Predators, who had soured on the 2016 first-round draft pick, and has played exceptionally well for the Blue Jackets this season. He’s second on Columbus with 117 blocked shots in 51 games, a solid 6.27 blocks per 60 minutes. For what it’s worth, he’s also second with a plus-18 and has 17 points. Fabbro won’t be a big-ticket free agent, though he’ll get a decent bump off his current $2.5 million AAV. He’s a right shot, which could intrigue the Rangers if they’d like to move Braden Schneider to his off side on the left.

It’s unlikely there’ll be a reunion with Neal Pionk on Broadway, but the former Rangers defenseman has had himself a real good season with the Western Conference-leading Winnipeg Jets. Though sidelined now with an undisclosed injury, Pionk is second among Jets defensemen with 37 points and fourth among all teammates in blocked shots (97) and hits (109). The 29-year-old is also a righty, and a more expensive one than Fabbro, but would be a nice second-pair fit if Schneider shifted to the left side. But he feels like a “been there, done that” option.

He’ll turn 34 this summer, but Dmitry Orlov is still playing some solid hockey, averaging just under 20 minutes a night for the Carolina Hurricanes. He plays left the side and is suited for a second-pair role for a couple of seasons, which you might be able to get him to sign for at this stage. If he landed on Broadway, it’d mean the Rangers would move K’Andre Miller up to the top pair with Fox, or possibly trade him.

Aaron Ekblad is not a fit for the Rangers but deserves mention here since he’s one of the biggest names available in free agency. He’s the most talented two-way defenseman on this list, but recurring injuries are taking away from his value, not to mention that 20-game suspension for performance enhancing drugs. Plus he plays top-pair minutes and is a right-shot defenseman. The Rangers already have one of those in Fox.

Now here’s a more feasible option and better fit for the Rangers. Matt Grzelcyk has quietly had himself a solid season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, averaging more than 20 minutes per game for the first time in his career and racking up an NHL career-high 34 points so far, second most among Penguins defensemen. The 31-year-old is also third on the Penguins with 90 blocked shots and could be a nice — and affordable — fit on the left side of the second pair if Miller moves up to play with Fox.

He’s 40-years-old and not the All-Star he once was, but Brent Burns never misses a game (his consecutive games streak is up over 900 games), is in amazing condition, plays more than 21 minutes a night and can still deliver a heavy shot. Who says no if he’s on the right side of the second pair, behind Fox, with the Rangers for a season? It’s intriguing, even if unlikely. But, hey, he would liven up the the team photo, no?!