Vladislav Gavrikov's UFA status presents a challenge for Kings: What should they do?

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.

The situations for the Los Angeles Kings last year and this year are eerily similar.

Last spring, Matt Roy was a top-four defenseman playing key five-on-five minutes and contributing to their penalty kill in a clamp-down role.

The Kings were in a push to lock down a playoff spot and opted to keep the minutes-eating Roy on their blue line instead of trading the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent.

They would lose in the first round for a third straight year and watch Roy land a six-year contract with the Washington Capitals.

Advertisement With a month until the March 7 trade deadline, the Kings are again in the thick of a playoff race and now theyre pondering Vladislav Gavrikov, another important defender.

Because of injuries to Drew Doughty and now Mikey Anderson, Gavrikov has been an invaluable top-pair ace.

Hes excelled in playing major, high-leverage minutes.

And hes approaching UFA status on an expiring deal.

What should the Kings do? Extending his contract would cost a pretty penny.

At 29, Gavrikov is finishing a two-year extension he signed with the Kings after a very successful integration following a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets at the 2023 deadline.

Hes one of the higher paid stay-at-home shutdown defensemen, earning $5.25 million this season after making $6.5 million in 2023-24.

All but $1.55 million of that front-loaded contract was paid in two July 1 signing bonuses.

Gavrikov is earning his money.

Because of Doughtys four-month absence to start the season, Gavrikov is playing a career-high average of 24 minutes per game and excelling with, per Evolving-Hockey, a 1.89 expected goals against per 60 minutes of five-on-five play.

Hes a stalwart on the Kings fifth-ranked penalty kill and moved into Doughtys spot, playing his off side and teaming with Anderson to be on the ice for just 18 goals against in more than 700 even-strength minutes.

The season, and that strategic short-term extension, have positioned Gavrikov for a major payday, especially given that the NHL salary cap will rise from $88 million to $95.5 million next season, and then zoom to $113.5 million by 2027-28.

This can be the last large-scale contract he signs.

Well, were going to see whats going to happen in the next few months, Gavrikov told The Athletic .

My focus right now is our playoff race.

Being in the playoffs and fight for a (Stanley) Cup.

Thats target No.

1 and goal No.

1 for the whole team.

After that, we can talk whats going to happen.

Advertisement Lets look at three options that the Kings can take with Gavrikov.

Option No.

1: Extend him If the salary cap was remaining flat next season, or even continuing its modest 5.4 percent jump, the Kings might find it tougher to retain Gavrikov.

Theyve already got more than $70 million committed to current roster players for 2025-26, and while theres no assurance that forwards Tanner Jeannot or Trevor Lewis will return, the Kings do have to work out a second contract for Alex Laferriere as he comes off his entry-level deal, and also sign a backup goalie.

But the cap ceiling will jump 8.5 percent, to $95.5 million, which should leave approximately $25 million available.

And with another 18 percent boost across 2026-27 and 2027-28, it gives Los Angeles the ability to pay Gavrikov handsomely and pursue others either through trade or free agency.

While core forward Adrian Kempe figures to land a huge deal when his bargain contract ($5.5 million AAV) finishes after the 2025-26 season, Anze Kopitars $7 million cap number could come off the books if he ends his NHL career.

Young defensemen Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke will come up for new contracts then, but the combination of expiring money and a rising cap could be beneficial for Gavrikov and the Kings.

That helps everyone, Gavrikov said.

For a team, you have a couple more tools to maneuver.

Same for the players.

Its never a bad thing when the league and the teams and players earning more money.

Its going to help the team to pay maybe more players.

You cant complain about that.

Option No.

2: Trade him Would the Kings do what they didnt do with Roy and move Gavrikov by the deadline? Anything is possible, and the team would have to set a high price if it put him on the market.

A first-round pick would be a necessity in a package, even though the acquiring team would know that he could be a rental.

Advertisement Another first-round pick, to go with their own, along with a quality prospect and perhaps an additional higher-round draft choice could help address a pipeline thats stocked with intriguing goalies but low on potential sure-thing pieces outside of 2024 first-rounder Liam Greentree.

The trading of first-round selections in 2022 (for Kevin Fiala) and 2023 (for Gavrikov) and the graduation of players such as Laferriere, Quinton Byfield and Alex Turcotte have whittled away their prospect pool.

But this years first round isnt considered to be as strong as other years.

But the Kings may be in a dogfight to hold onto their current No.

3 spot in the Pacific Division, with Vancouver and Calgary on their heels.

They do have games in hand on the Canucks and Flames, so a wild-card berth is possible if theyre leapfrogged by either club.

Tracking down either Vegas or Edmonton feels less realistic as each game comes off the schedule, so the Kings are likely reduced to maintaining their spot and facing whichever team falls short in the Vegas-Edmonton battle for the division title.

As mentioned, Gavrikov plays a big role on a defense thats helped allow the fewest goals (129) in the league and the second-fewest shots on goal (25.4).

Doughty has been back for four games and hes trying to regain his usual form.

Anderson is dealing with a finger injury and may not return for this weekends home games against Dallas and Anaheim, which has kept Gavrikov on the top pair with Doughty.

The Kings could go with Anderson and Doughty as their top pair, while having puck movers Spence and Clarke paired with defensive types Joel Edmundson and Jacob Moverare.

But would they be just as good or better when it comes to matching up against their playoff opponent? Option No.

3: Let him walk With Edmundson playing well in a second-pairing role and averaging a career-high 20:48, the Kings could feel comfortable putting the money needed to sign Gavrikov elsewhere.

It seems likely that Gavrikov could move well into the $6 million bracket.

And a rising cap might have the defenders camp seeking a $7 million AAV or close to that.

Advertisement Vancouver just signed Marcus Pettersson to a six-year contract worth $33 million after acquiring him from Pittsburgh.

Its the same deal New Jersey inked Brett Pesce to last summer.

Gavrikov already has a higher cap hit and has only improved his profile with his success working on L.A.s top pairing.

He doesnt have the offensive upside that other all-around defenders possess.

But if Roy cashed in with the Capitals for $34.5 million ($5.75 million AAV), its fair to think that Gavrikov will do better.

At age 30, Jaccob Slavin signed an eight-year extension with Carolina for $51.69 million.

The Kings may not be crazy about going to max term with Gavrikov, and if $6.5 annually is too rich in their view for a defensive defenseman who tops out at 25 to 30 points, they could shift toward improving the offense.

The Kings would be positioned to bid for a star forward such as Mikko Rantanen or Mitch Marner, if either hits the market.

Brock Boeser might return home to score goals for Minnesota, but Nikolaj Ehlers, who has an 82-game average of 27 goals and 63 points, would add speed and finish if he doesnt re-sign with Winnipeg.

Or the Kings could hold off until 2026, when the free-agent class could include Kirill Kaprizov, Jack Eichel and perhaps the unthinkable in Connor McDavid.

More money will be in the pot and Gavrikov is due to get a bigger cut, whether to remain in Los Angeles or play a large role for another club.

(Photo of Vladislav Gavrikov: Luke Hales / Getty Images).

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