Holland says he upped ex-Kings GM Blake's offer to Gavrikov, still no deal done
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The Los Angeles Kings are running out of time to sign pending unrestricted free agent Vladislav Gavrikov before he hits the open market.
New Kings general manager Ken Holland said Wednesday he picked up where former GM Rob Blake left off in contract talks, but hasn't been able to close a deal with the veteran defenceman.
“Rob Blake had made an offer, and I went beyond that offer, and so now we are continuing to talk, and I think I made another offer, so we’ll see,” Holland told reporters, per the Orange County Register.
Gavrikov, 29, is the second-highest ranked defenceman among TSN's Top 50 free agents and listed at No. 6 overall. TSN's Frankie Corrado projected last week that Gavrikov's next contract will hold an average annual value of $7.5 million.
“Probably dollars," he added of what's holding up a signing. "We’re prepared to do a long-term deal. Rob Blake offered a deal, and I extended it."
Gavrikov, 29, recorded nine goals and 30 points in 82 games with the Kings this past season while averaging 23:05 of ice time. He added two assists in six playoff games while averaging 21:00 of ice time before his team was eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the second round.
The 6-foot-3 left-shot blueliner is coming off a two-year, $11.75 million contract that carried an annual cap hit of $5.975 million.
Kings in on Marner?
Flush with cap space, the Kings have been listed as a potential landing spot for Mitch Marner once he hits the open market on July 1.
Los Angeles has $21.7 million in space, per PuckPedia, with 21 players already under contract for next season.
"We have a lot of cap space, but it doesn’t take much before it’s gone,” Holland said when asked about his team's space.
That response brought a follow up question on if he was, therefore, out of the bidding on big names this summer.
"No, I didn’t say that,” he said.
Marner is listed atop the TSN Top 50, with Corrado projecting he will land an AAV of $13 million his new deal.
The 28-year-old forward recorded 27 goals and 102 points in 81 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs this past season. He added two goals and 13 points in 13 playoff games before his team was eliminated by the Florida Panthers in the second round.
The 6-foot winger is coming off a six-year, $65.41 million contract that carried an annual cap hit of $10.9 million.
Los Angeles will once again look to take an elusive step forward next season, having been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Edmonton Oilers in each of the past four years.