The Vladislav Gavrikov news keeps on rolling in.
This time, it's about his status with the Russian World Championship team. Gavrikov was named to the preliminary roster on Monday night, it was announced by the Russian Hockey Federation. This is a Russian team that includes star power NHLers like Artemi Panarin (Chicago), Ivan Provorov (Philadelphia) and Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay).
Gavrikov played this past season with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the KHL. In 54 games, he scored three goals and had four assists for a total of seven points.
He is currently without a contract and is weighing his options. One significant option is joining the Columbus Blue Jackets next season. The Blue Jackets' front office has stated that they believe that Gavrikov has the ability to play in the NHL immediately, and they reportedly have a contract offer on the able to back that up.
Playing in a strong international tournament will only help his developmental path.
The IIHF World Championships will begin May 5 and end May 21, held this year in Paris and Cologne. Team Russia is a perennial contender for gold in this tournament, having won as recently as 2012 and 2014.
