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Red Wings linked to Kings’ veteran defenseman

Originally posted on NHL on ClutchPoints
By Colin Gallant | Last updated Apr 3, 2025 2:20 PM ET

The Detroit Red Wings currently own one of the longest postseason droughts in the National Hockey League, and are staring down the barrel of a ninth consecutive campaign without playoff hockey.

Whether or not Todd McLellan’s team gets in in 2024-25, it’s clear the roster needs to get better in the offseason to truly become Stanley Cup contenders again. And according to The Athletic’s Max Bultman, the franchise could target Los Angeles Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov in that quest.

“One name I’m curious about is Vladislav Gavrikov, the left-shot defenseman in Los Angeles. He has familiarity with McLellan and Trent Yawney from their time with the Kings, and as of Sunday afternoon, Gavrikov had the fifth-best five-on-five expected goals against numbers in the NHL (1.84 xGA/60) among defensemen who played at least 500 minutes,” Bultman wrote in his latest Red Wings mailbag.

The hockey insider continued: “He’ll be 30 this fall, but that’s the nature of free agency, and a top pairing of Gavrikov and Seider has the potential to be one of the league’s most stout — capable of truly succeeding in the kind of tough minutes Detroit tends to feed Seider. And, it would allow Detroit to slot Ben Chiarot down the lineup against more manageable matchups, potentially on a pair with a young defenseman such as Johansson or top prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka.”

There will certainly be a market for Gavrikov this summer; he’s helped the Kings form one of the stingiest blue lines in the league. Los Angeles is allowing just 2.49 goals against per game, better than any NHL team except the Winnipeg Jets.

“Gavrikov will have a real market, to be sure. He won’t be cheap,” wrote Bultman. “But what he’s been in Los Angeles is exactly what Detroit needs — and having the same coaching staff that helped establish that Kings defense group could help make it possible.”

It’ll be interesting to see what UFAs GM Steve Yzerman takes a swing for in the offseason, especially considering he controversially didn’t make the team any better ahead of the March 7 NHL trade deadline.

Red Wings aren’t out of playoff race just yet

Detroit Red Wings left wing J.T. Compher (37) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal against the St. Louis Blues during the third period at Enterprise Center. Jeff Le-Imagn Images

Despite an absolutely brutal month of March for the Red Wings — McLellan’s team went 4-10 in the calendar month — they remain in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Currently 34-33-7, the Wings are just four points back of the final wildcard berth with eight games left in the regular-season. Although it’s going to take a herculean effort to get in, the dream isn’t over yet.

Detroit was on the verge of winning two games in a row for the first time since late February on Tuesday night against the Blues in St. Louis. Leading 1-0 late in the contest, the Wings allowed the Blues to tie it up late before Cam Fowler called game in overtime.

Still, the Red Wings (75 points) were able to manage a point in that contest, keeping pace with the Montreal Canadiens (79 points), New York Rangers (79 points) and Columbus Blue Jackets (77 points).

The main problem for Detroit is that all eight of their last regular-season games will be against playoff teams, including a pair against the defending champion Florida Panthers. It’ll be interesting to see if the Wings can string together some wins to try to make a last ditch effort for a playoff spot.

What will be even more interesting is seeing what moves the front office makes in the offseason to try to bring one of the most storied franchises in hockey back to Stanley Cup contention.

This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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