Detroit Red Wings
When the Kings traded for Gavrikov at the trade deadline during the 2022-23 season, the head coach at the time was Todd McLellan. Gavrikov would only play about a full season of games for McLellan as he was fired midway through the 2023-24 season and replaced by Jim Hiller.
However, McLellan is already back in a head coach role and is leading the Detroit Red Wings now. The Red Wings are trying to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17, and with a little over $21 million, could spend a big chunk of that on a veteran defenseman like Gavrikov.
The Red Wings do have Simon Edvinsson, who showed a lot of promise in his first full season in the NHL after Detroit selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. However, on the second line, have an older veteran in Ben Chiarot that Gavrikov would be an upgrade over.
He also could make an impact as the top defenseman on the Red Wings penalty kill unit and help there as well.