The Los Angeles Kings have business they want to complete before free agency opens on July 1.
The Athletic’s James Mirtle reported Monday that the Kings have their sights set on a new contract for their defenseman, Vladislav Gavrikov.
“The Kings would like to lock (Gavrikov) up before he makes it to free agency on July 1,” Mirtle writes.
The 29-year old averaged 23:05 in ice time in 2024-25, a career high.
“His asking price could top $8.5 million on a max-term deal, a considerable raise over the two-year, $5.875 million deal he is coming off,” Mirtle writes. “… Gavrikov could definitely be someone who sets a new bar for a defensive defenseman.”
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Mirtle expects the Kings to get this deal done because of their massive cap space.
He also throws a huge prediction in at the end of his Gavrikov analysis.
“What’s interesting is the Kings have enough cap room that they can pay that asking price and still go after (Mitch) Marner with a massive Draisaitl-like offer. Which is why we have them as a top candidate to land the soon-to-be ex-Leaf,” Mirtle wrote.
That’d be quite the offseason for the Kings.
Keeping Gavrikov around would maintain strength in defense, while getting Marner’s two-way stardom would be a massive step forward for the franchise.
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