NHL Free Agency News: Big Turn of Events in Gavrikov Situation With LA Kings

Gavrikov's future with the Kings isn't as certain as it seemed to be

As the Los Angeles Kings' 2025 season came to an end after the first round of the playoffs (again), all the talk around the team was that their biggest pending unrestricted free agent, Vladislav Gavrikov, was almost certain to sign an extension and stay in LA.

But after the firing of GM Rob Blake, and the hiring of new head man Ken Holland, the script in Hollywood seems to have changed a bit. Elliotte Friedman had the latest on the Donnie & Dhali podcast on Monday:

I don't know what's going to happen with Gavrikov in LA, but I know some people who were convinced he was gonna stay, and now they're not sure.

Some insiders now 'not sure' whether Gavrikov will be re-signed by LA Kings

The 29-year-old D-man is coming off a two-year, $5.875 million AAV contract and is due for a big raise. AFP Analytics projects Gavrikov's next deal to come in at seven years with a $7.6 million cap hit. One of Holland's first decisions as the new team president and GM will be a huge one.

Gavrikov has turned into a pillar on defense for the Kings after his second full season in LA. He registered career highs this season with a plus/minus rating of +26, while logging over 23 minutes of ice time per night. He also set a personal best with 140 blocked shots. He played all 82 games, and recorded 25 assists and 30 points, both just short of his career highs.

In addition, Gavrikov was an important mentor for young Jordan Spence, as the left-shot Russian moved to his offside and helped settle down the 24-year-old, as they made for a solid shut-down pair. While Gavrikov was a +26, Spence was a +23 in just his second full season.

If Holland decides to let the big Russian go, he'll have to take the training wheels off Spence completely.

Should Gavrikov make it to July 1st unsigned, he'll be the top left-shot D-man on the market.