Vladislav Gavrikov #84 of the Los Angeles Kings (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
This season, Vladislav Gavrikov has the highest average ice time on the Los Angeles Kings roster, clocking in at 23:48 per game. In the absence of Drew Doughty, who hasn’t played since the start of the regular season due to an injury, the 29-year-old Russian has become the team’s leading defenseman.
“It’s going well so far, but no one knows how things will unfold,” Gavrikov said in an exclusive interview with RG. “Right now, Doughty isn’t playing due to the injury, so I’m on the top pair, which has increased my ice time. When Drew returns, I don’t know how things will change. But we’re waiting for him regardless. We currently have four injured players, and that’s taking its toll on the team.”
It's never easy for a team to lose their No. 1 defenseman before the season even begins, but the Kings have done a valiant job of staying in the playoff race.
“We’ve had to adapt without Doughty. He’s a crucial part of our team, playing an important role on the power play,” said Gavrikov. “He’s one of the most productive defensemen in the league and has a wealth of experience: two Stanley Cups and a Norris Trophy."
Once, former Canadian national team coach Mike Babcock, who led Doughty to two Olympic gold medals, jokingly referred to Drew as someone with ‘a big butt.’
“Maybe not the biggest, but it’s there,” Gavrikov laughed.
“Right now, he’s been spending a lot of time in the gym, building muscles. He hasn’t been on the ice yet, but he may start skating in early January.”
Top Pair Role
Gavrikov is currently playing on the top defensive pair with Mikey Anderson, and his ice time has increased by three minutes compared to last season.
“Mikey and I play in almost all critical situations. I spend a lot of time on the penalty kill. Although, to be fair, I’ve always played significant minutes in that role. Now, there’s more responsibility,” said Gavrikov. “Doughty would normally step up in those key moments, but now it’s Mikey and I. I feel more comfortable now. Earlier in the season, I didn’t always perform well against the opposition’s top lines, but now I’m consistently matching up against them. The upside is that it’s helping me to grow and gain experience.”
The Kings currently sit third in the Pacific Division with 51 points in 38 games.
“In terms of our play, the first three months are something we can be proud of. We’ve made progress compared to the start of the season. Points-wise, we’d like to do better, but that depends on our performance. We’ll aim to pick up more points in the second half of the regular season.”
Gavrikov has 16 points (2 goals, 14 assists) in 38 games this season. His best NHL season was in 2021-22, when he recorded 33 points with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Decision Time Looming
Gavrikov’s two-year, $5.875 million contract is set to expire at the end of this season, and the 29-year-old Russian defenseman will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2025. He confirmed that there have been no extension talks with the Kings yet.
“Nothing so far. The club just asked me how I saw the situation. We shared our position, but it’s too early to discuss a new contract. I have a full no-trade clause, so the trade deadline isn’t an issue for me – we have plenty of time,” said Gavrikov. “I haven’t decided on the term yet, but my priority is a long-term contract. As for the financial side, we haven’t gotten to that yet.”
Despite the difficulties that may come with playing out a contract year, Gavrikov remains calm.
“The sooner we come to an agreement, the better,” said Gavrikov.
“But I’m calm about it for now. We have a home here, and we’re not in a rush. I see different scenarios, and the main thing is to make the right decision.”
Gavrikov’s current contract includes an NMC (no-movement clause), which means the Kings cannot trade him without his consent.
“It’s possible that the team could approach me with an offer. But where we’ll stand before the trade deadline is hard to predict – we still have a few months,” the defenseman said.
Gavrikov admitted that he enjoys living in Los Angeles but also acknowledged the city’s drawbacks.
“It’s a good city. I’ve been to many places and seen a lot. In terms of climate, organization and hockey, it’s one of the best combinations. But there are nuances, like in any city. It’s not the cleanest place, there are a lot of homeless people and crime is an issue,” said Gavrikov of Los Angeles. “But that’s the case in many parts of America. I wouldn’t say Los Angeles is a super-safe city. Downtown isn’t very safe – there are police helicopters flying around all the time. We live in a nice area; otherwise, I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving my family here.”
“They thought I’d be too old for their team”
Gavrikov began his NHL career with the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he played for three and a half seasons. After initially being drafted by Columbus in the 6th round of the 2015 NHL Draft, Gavrikov went on to play 256 games for the Ohio-based club.
As he approached his 27th birthday, and the possibility of testing free agency, Columbus seemed to be once again embracing a rebuild and didn’t see Gavrikov in their long-term plans.
Gavrikov was traded to the Kings leading up to the 2023 NHL Trade deadline, alongside goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, in exchange for a 2023 1st-round pick, 3rd-round pick and goaltender Jonathan Quick.
But, unlike most rentals who go to a contending team and walk into free agency for a big payday, Gavrikov instead chose to stay in L.A. on a two-year deal.
“When I got to L.A., I needed time to decide if my family and I wanted to stay. That’s why we agreed on a short-term contract with the Kings. Now we know what we want, and we can sign a long-term deal here,” said Gavrikov.
“I was ready to stay in Columbus. Would I have regrated it, knowing now how great the Kings’ organization is? Probably, yes. Everything turned out the way it was supposed to. I don’t regret not signing with Columbus for a second, even though it was tough at the time. They thought I’d be too old for their team by the end of the contract at 35 years old.”
Daria Tuboltseva
