October 21, 2024 | 11:53am ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

KINGS NOT RUSHING GAVRIKOV CONTRACT SITUATION

Vladislav Gavrikov, defenceman

The Los Angeles Kings are off to a solid 3-1-2 start to the 2024-25 regular-season as they play one more game on the road Tuesday night in Vegas before finally opening up at home against San Jose on Thursday.

As captain Anze Kopitar leads the offensive charge for the Kings, the team has faced a few early-season hurdles on the backend and in net with the long-term injury to Drew Doughty on the blueline and short-term injury to goaltender Darcy Kuemper.

With the team focused on the season and a top-three finish in the Pacific Division, management will be keeping tabs on two key players currently on expiring contracts.

Defenceman Vladislav Gavrikov and winger Tanner Jeannot are eligible to become unrestricted free agents next July.

Gavrikov, 28, is in the final year of a two-year, $11.75 million contract and owns a full no-movement clause as part of his deal.

Jeannot, acquired in the off-season from the Tampa Bay Lightning, is in the last year of a two-year, $5.33 million contract. The 27-year-old has a 16-team no-trade list in his deal.

Contract talks with both players haven’t formally begun, and as it specifically relates to Gavrikov, those discussions are not expected to get going until later in the season, as Kings GM Rob Blake alluded to before the start of the new campaign.

Gavrikov has expressed his desire to stay in Los Angeles and his next contract demands will factor into whether or not the Kings will aggressively try to lock him into a long-term extension.

Armed with a $5.825 million average annual value (AAV), Gavrikov is making $5.25 million in actual total salary this season – $775,000 in base salary and $4.475 million paid out in signing bonus. Depending on term, he could secure a deal in the same AAV neighbourhood as he’s earning on his current contract.

In his first six games of the Kings, Gavrikov has registered three assists while averaging 24:18 in total ice time per game.