The Columbus Blue Jackets signed Russian defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to a two-year entry deal on Saturday, making him a Blue Jacket through the 2019-20 season.
Gavrikov will be able to help the Jackets as soon as he arrives in the United States, a process Aaron Portzline says will start on Monday.
Columbus selected Gavrikov, 23, in the sixth round (159th overall) in 2015. He’s spent the last six years in the KHL, scoring 16 goals and 49 points in 222 games with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (two) and SKA St. Petersburg (four). Gavrikov captained SKA St.