Quoting: kings23
I see what you’re saying, just being honest the kings cannot pay for a top tier shutdown defenseman on the free agent market, and cannot afford the cap hit for a trade while still addressing other needs. Something has to give.
Quoting: kings23
Since you’re actually a decent fan and know what you’re talking about I’ll share with ya my other 2 favorite options for D
Joel Edmundson and Brendan Dillon both are on expiring contracts but bring the grit and stability the kings need. I just don’t see Blake making another move for a rental that if he plays good will price themselves out of la.
Addressing the LD2 hole of a player who can play with Roy and eventually be split up to play with Clarke has been the long-term goal of Rob Blake, I believe there is somewhat of a sunken cost factor with him at this point. If the Kings do sign Gavrikov, expect a long-term Mikey Anderson-type deal under $5M, otherwise yes, he probably walks.
Edmundson was particularly bad last season, and if he can be had for a 4th rounder with 50% retained, maybe, but nothing else. Brenden Dillon on the other hand is exactly the type of player you want with Clarke. Other options could be the aforementioned DeHaan, Graves, Dumoulin. And: Kulikov, Soucy,
It's not a great market, but I think the Kings will ultimately overpay for Gavrikov as the team has been taking him to events to woo him.