The LA Kings season is not close to ending as they have already clinched a spot in the playoffs and currently fighting to lock up home ice advantage in the first round. However, for some teams their season is ending in a few weeks and they will be turning their focus to the offseason and next season.
They are going to be working to formulate plans on how to improve their roster and that could include two players currently on the Kings. Recently, Frank Seravalli with Daily Faceoff put out his first Top 50 of pending free agents for the upcoming offseason which included Vladislav Gavrikov and Andrei Kuzmenko.
Gavrikov, who was 22nd on the board but the third best left defenseman, has been having an excellent season with the Kings. He joined the team two seasons ago as part of the Jonathan Quick trade and took on a bigger role this season after Drew Doughty suffered the ankle injury during the preseason.
This season, Gavrikov has averaged over 23 minutes of ice time per game, which is a career high and almost three minutes more than last season. He has four goals and 23 assists with an excellent +/- of +22.
At 29 years old, he certainly would have a great market and teams will be looking to sign him. However, the Kings are trying to make sure he doesn't reach free agency and after the trade deadline, general manager Rob Blake said the team and Gavrikov's representation were working on a new contract and he felt confident something would get done.
The AFP Projection for a new contract for Gavrikov would be 5 years for $5.4 million per year but that seems low. If the Kings could sign him to that type of deal, it probably would already be done and a new deal probably would be over $6 million per year.
The other player on the list is someone who just joined the team about a month ago in Andrei Kuzmenko. The Kings traded for him with the Philadelphia Flyers and he has been excellent in his short time with the team as he has had five goals and six assists in 17 games with the Kings.
He probably will have a market but with how he fits within this system, it would make sense for him to return to Los Angeles. The AFP Projections is a two year deal for $4.5 million per year and that seems reasonable and one that the Kings should jump to get done if that is an extension that can be agreed to.