Kings Sign Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov To a Two-Year Contract Extension

The LA Kings have signed defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to a two-year contract extension worth an average annual value (AAV) of $5,875,000 through the 2024-25 season.

Gavrikov, 27, appeared in 72 regular-season games last year with the Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets, posting 19 points (6-13=19), 38 penalty minutes (PIM) and a career best plus-four rating while averaging 21:58 time-on-ice per game (TOI). In six Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Kings, the 6-3, 220-pound defenseman added an assist and a team-leading plus-five rating while averaging 21:38 TOI, third-most among team defensemen.

Acquired from Columbus along with goaltender Joonas Korpisalo in exchange for Jonathan Quick, a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 third-round pick, Gavrikov played in 20 regular-season games with the Kings, earning nine points (3-6=9). During that time, Gavrikov led Kings defensemen in plus/minus (plus-12), tied for the lead in takeaways by a defenseman (8), ranked second on the blue line in TOI (21:01) and shorthanded TOI (1:59), and finished third amongst team blueliners in blocked shots (26).

Originally selected by Columbus in the sixth round (159th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft, Gavrikov has registered 82 points (18-64=82), 138 PIMs and 20:48 TOI over 276 regular-season games with the Kings and Blue Jackets. Additionally, in 18 playoff appearances, including six with the Kings, Gavrikov has tallied four points (1-3=4).

Prior to joining the NHL, the Yaroslavl, Russia native spent parts of five seasons (2014-19) in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with SKA St. Petersburg and his hometown Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. A KHL All-Star Game participant in 2018-19, Gavrikov skated in 222 regular-season KHL games, recording 49 points (16-33=49), 96 PIM and a plus-97 rating while also adding 12 points (4-8=12) in 57 KHL playoff games.

Internationally, Gavrikov won an Olympic gold medal with the Olympic Athletes of Russia in 2018, where he posted three points (2-1=3) in six tournament games. He has also appeared in six IIHF tournaments, including four IIHF Men's World Championships (2021, 2019 - bronze, 2018, 2017 - bronze), one IIHF World Junior Championship (2015 - silver) and one IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship (2013). At the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship, Gavrikov was tabbed the tournament's best defenseman after guiding Russia to a silver-medal finish.