Teams that appear to be winners on July 1, just as at the trade deadline, can turn into losers on the ice. We all know that. No trophies are awarded over the summer.
But July 1 was a very good day for the Rangers and GM Chris Drury, who achieved three objectives with little salary cap space in which to maneuver, and let us count the ways:
1. The Blueshirts signed their priority free agent target, Vladislav Gavrikov, to fill a critical need on the left side to partner with Adam Fox on the first pair, and for a below-market deal for seven years at an AAV of $7 million.
2. Drury was able to avoid contending with an offer sheet for Will Cuylle, signing the winger to a two-year bridge contract worth $3.9M per that probably was about $400,000 more than originally budgeted but a bargain in a market gone mad.
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