The Los Angeles Kings' attention is squarely on the Edmonton Oilers and how they will try to get past the team that has ended their season three straight years. However, the offseason is just right around the corner and general manager Rob Blake has a clear number one priority.
That is to find a way to re-sign defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, whose contract is set to end at the end of the LA Kings' season. Unfortunately due to the Kings waiting this long to get a new deal done, the cost to bring back Gavrikov has only gone up after some recent contracts.
A few months ago, Jakob Chychrun signed a new contract with the Washington Capitals for eight years with an average annual value of $9 million. It was unlikely Gavrikov could get that high with Chychrun being younger and the better player.
However, a better comparison for Gavrikov and his agents could be the recent contract signed by Neal Pionk. The Winnipeg Jets and Pionk agreed to an extension that was for six years worth $42 million.
Vladislav Gavrikov will be one of the top free agents if LA Kings don't re-sign him
For the Los Angeles Kings, this seems to be the minimum they can offer Gavrikov to get him to re-sign with the team. He has had comparable stats with Pionk being slightly better offensively but Gavrikov being better on defense, especially on the penalty kill, but both being 29 years old.
The reason that this is probably the minimum is that if Gavrikov is able to get to free agency, there are going to be a lot of teams competing to sign him. As essentially the top defensemen available, teams are going to likely overpay to add him to their franchise.
In the end, this is not a guarantee that Gavrikov is going to leave the Los Angeles Kings this offseason. However, it wouldn't be surprising when he does sign his next contract, either in Los Angeles or elsewhere, it is closer to $8 million per year and probably a million per year more than if the Kings were able to agree to a new deal a few weeks ago.