There is never a good time for a team like the Los Angeles Kings to lose a player of Drew Doughty's caliber for an extended period of time. Fortunately for them, Vladislav Gavrikov was ready to step into a bigger role on the defense and now the Kings' defenseman could find himself with a much bigger contract this offseason.
This past season was his second full season with the Kings after he went to Los Angeles as part of the return for Jonathan Quick in the trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He would make notable improvements season over season as he had 30 points, seven more than last season, and a +/- of +26, which was 17 points higher than last season.
The Kings would pair Gavrikov with Mikey Anderson, and he saw much higher ice time as he averaged almost 24 minutes through the first 57 games. However, when Doughty returned he would be paired with Jordan Spence and averaged just over 21 minutes but seemed to get better as he had 10 points in the final 25 regular season games and a +/- of +17.
Grade for Vladislav Gavrikov's 2024-25 season with the Los Angeles Kings: A-
There is no question it was a great season from Vladislav Gavrikov and he was a big reason that the Los Angeles Kings were one of the best teams in the NHL defensively. The Kings allowed the second fewest shots on goal in the entire league and Gavrikov helped in that regards by blocking the most shots on the team at 140.
Unfortunately for the Kings, the excellent season by Gavrikov has now resulted in him being able to demand a much higher contract this summer. If he does reach free agency, there will be teams lining up to speak with him so the Kings will try to get something done before July 1st.
If they are not, then it creates a big hole on their defense that they will need to address before the regular season.