Vladislav Gavrikov
As noted earlier, the Los Angeles Kings had a big hole in their defense with the loss of Drew Doughty. He should be returning soon, which is great news for the Los Angeles Kings, but we shouldn't overlook the play of Vladislav Gavrikov so far this season.
Gavrikov has been on the ice more than any time in his career with an average of 23:41 per game, which is almost a 1:30 more than his career high of 22:17 back in the 2021-22 season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He has had 67 blocks with 14 hits while helping on the offensive end with two goals and 13 assists.
He currently has a +/- of +17, which is second on the team and tied with Anze Kopitar while being the fifth best in all of the NHL among defensemen. Once Doughty returns, Gavrikov probably sees his ice time dip but having him on a second line will only make this defense better.