Vladislav Gavrikov, Kings agree to terms on a 2-year deal
The 27-year-old defenseman, acquired from Columbus ahead of the trade deadline, integrated himself quickly as part of a shutdown pairing with veteran Matt Roy.
Kings general manager Rob Blake cleared salary cap space on Tuesday morning with a three-team trade and put it to use as the Kings agreed to terms with defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov on a two-year deal with an annual average value of $5.875 million and a full no-movement clause, the team confirmed Wednesday.
Gavrikov arrived more than three months ago near the trade deadline from Columbus, where he had spent his entire NHL career, and the 27-year-old integrated himself quickly as part of a shutdown pairing with veteran Matt Roy.
“We saw and understood what kind of fit (Gavrikov) was,” Blake said earlier this spring. “When you can throw out defenders like that against top players, it certainly helps your team.”
Blake added that the organization was attracted to “the mold of the player; a bigger player, somebody who is very solid defensively, can play minutes, can do PK, can check top players.”
Others cosigned Gavrikov’s presence more emphatically, like top defenseman Drew Doughty, who frequently joked that he was finding creative means of luring Gavrikov back to the Kings, including “giving him a million bucks” from his own contract.
Gavrikov had the strongest on-ice/off-ice scoring numbers five-on-five for the Kings and was substantially more productive for the Kings than he was earlier in the season with Columbus, despite playing a defensive role with no power-play time.
He did not seek to negotiate an extension ahead of being traded – and he had more time than anticipated due to a seemingly interminable string of healthy scratches after a trade with Boston faltered – and signed a relatively short two-year pact.
As a result of the impromptu overhaul of the CBA amid the stress of the pandemic, the salary cap has essentially been flat in the NHL for the past four seasons. That appears likely to change next season and it certainly will have risen noticeably by the time Gavrikov’s deal expires in 2025.
That could make for a more motivated Gavrikov, as he seeks his next payday.