Based on reports, it would seem that new general manager Ken Holland has tried his best to get deals done for the Los Angeles Kings. There have been trades like the one for Rasmus Andersson that would appear the Kings made a great offer but Andersson wasn't ready to sign a long-term deal with the Kings.
Over the weekend, reports emerged of another trade that the Kings tried to get done but couldn't get across the finish line. This time it involved defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov in a sign-and-trade with the New York Rangers.
According to Elliotte Friedman on the latest episode of '32 Thoughts', he said, "They tried to do a sign-and-trade with the Rangers, and it fell apart and obviously didn't happen."
The Kings had reportedly been trying to re-sign Gavrikov right up to free agency and it didn't seem like much of a secret that their biggest competition was the New York Rangers. It was smart for the Kings to at least try to explore a sign-and-trade and hopefully get at least something in return.
The reason for it falling apart might not be known but the most likely scenario is that the Kings were asking for too much and the Rangers didn't feel the need to give that up.
LA Kings are going to have a tough time replacing Vladislav Gavrikov next season
The Kings added a lot to their roster this offseason but it is going to be tough to replace what Gavrikov brought to the blue line. He was arguably the team's best defenseman and stepped up in a big way when Doughty suffered his injury.
They had been discussing an extension for some time but couldn't get it done, with either Rob Blake or Ken Holland as general manager. If the Kings got something in return, it might have helped close the gap but with no sign-and-trade it makes the absence even greater.