On the ice and in the room, Gavrikov now a big voice for Blue Jackets

It's fair to say Vladislav Gavrikov has found his voice on the ice.
The Blue Jackets defenseman proved that when he wore a microphone during the team's March 4 game against Los Angeles, delivering one hilarious line after another as he traded a stick for candy during pregame warmups, joked about the size of his backside after being hit in the derriere by a puck, and watched his own spot on the video board.

That type of easygoing, sometimes deadpan humor -- which was

-- has helped make Gavrikov a fan favorite, as he's liked as much for his Fifth Line Helpline videos as his dependable nature once the whistle blows.
But make no mistake -- just as clearly as Gavrikov might be turning into a star in a multimedia setting, he's on the same path inside the Blue Jackets locker room.
In fact, he wore an alternate captain's "A" on his sweater for a number of games this season when fellow defenseman Zach Werenski was out with an injury, an impressive rise in the leadership chain for someone who is just in his third season not just with the Blue Jackets but in the NHL.
It was a well-deserved honor, though, head coach Brad Larsen said as Gavrikov became more and more an integral part of what Columbus is building this season.
"I think he's earned that letter," Larsen said at the time of the 26-year-old. "I talked to him not too long ago about what he means to our team. He goes about his business. He's very professional. He comes to the rink with a smile. He's very consistent in how he plays. We love him for what he does. He's a competitor, a real good competitor, and I think he's grown.
"He's grown on me. He's got a really neat personality, and it was an opportunity I think to just reward him and show him what we think. I think he's taking that step. I think he's worked himself into that leadership group for how he plays, how he presents himself and how he helps our team."

Gavrikov has become one of the most trusted players and vocal leaders on the Blue Jackets squad, and in NHL years it feels like it was a quick process.
Because of that, it's easy to forget what an interesting situation he came into when he first joined the club. Originally a sixth-round draft pick of the Jackets in the 2015 draft, Gavrikov spent the next four seasons in the KHL, with two at his hometown team of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and the next two at powerful Russian club SKA St. Petersburg.
Defense was his calling card with those teams, as he totaled a combined 16 goals and 48 points in those four seasons but posted a plus-94 rating in 206 games, including plus-69 in 110 games over two seasons with SKA.
But there was no grace period for Gavrikov when he first arrived with the Blue Jackets, as he signed with Columbus and flew to the city with the team in the midst of its second-round playoff series with Boston. With the CBJ blue line missing injured regulars Markus Nutivaara, Ryan Murray and Adam McQuaid, Gavrikov went into the lineup for Games 5 and 6 as the Jackets bowed out to the Bruins.
Looking back, it was quite an introduction to the team.
"That was kind of wild because I came right in the playoffs, right?" he said. "We had a pretty solid team, and you just step up in a new area for you, as a defenseman, in a new country, with a new group. That was wild. Now like since then, I feel comfortable now. It's been three years for me. I would probably say it feels like five or six."
One main reason for that might be Gavrikov has watched tremendous turnover happen to the Jackets roster since his arrival. Just six players who skated postseason minutes with Gavrikov in 2019 remained with the team this year, and his 204 games played in union blue are the fifth most on the Columbus squad at the moment.
Gavrikov has made good use of that time, as well, including this past season when he had a career year with a 5-28-33 line in 80 games, doubling the 30 points he had in 124 games over his first two seasons. He averaged a career-high 22:17 of ice time per game as well, second only to fellow defensemen behind Zach Werenski.
Strong defensive play remains his calling card -- Gavrikov has been likened to an octopus by multiple coaches for his ability to get his tentacles onto opposing offensive players and eliminate them from the play -- but he's good for a couple of his phone calls each year as part of his trademark goal celebration.
In the end, Gavrikov has become about as key a player -- and voice -- as the Blue Jackets have.
"The first year I was not shy, but kind of shy, because I changed like pretty much everything for myself," he said. "Like in country, language and the team, the new league, new partners, a bunch of stuff around.
"It's nice to find out the details like that. So, I feel more comfortable in the locker room on and off the ice. I feel more comfortable right now compared to like three years ago."