Cal Petersen’s contract is gone, but will the trade help the Kings retain Vladislav Gavrikov?
Ava White
Published Apr 07, 2026
Kings general manager Rob Blake was in a box because of the foolish Cal Petersen contract, but Blake put himself in that box because of a deal that was questionable at the time, then turned into an obvious mistake. Even with the moves that Blake made to upgrade the roster and shift Los Angeles from rebuilding to an annual playoff participant, Petersen’s three-year, $15-million extension, signed in September 2021, hung over the franchise. Burying that contract in the AHL last season further blackened that cloud.
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On Tuesday, Blake found a Houdini-like escape route, when he traded Petersen, a second-round pick, Sean Walker and defensive prospect Helge Grans to the Flyers and served as the middleman as Ivan Provorov moved from Philadelphia to Columbus. Miracles can still happen when it comes to seemingly untradable contracts.
Blake isn’t totally free from the bind, but in shipping out Petersen’s contract, he fixed that mistake and increased his chances of re-signing defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, who played well after coming over from Columbus before the trade deadline. Watching Petersen fail to grab the No. 1 goalie job, after it was expected he would wrest it away from Jonathan Quick, had to be stomach-churning at times for the Kings. Having a $5 million salary hit sitting as an anchor in Ontario, and getting in the way of potential moves, was full-on indigestion.
Working out an extension with Gavrikov before July 1 would make this cap-dump trade a truly successful extrication for Blake as he sets about the difficult next-step task of building a championship roster. As a second consecutive first-round playoff loss proved, the Kings aren’t there yet. But the trade freed up approximately $5.6 million of seriously needed cap space.
New Flyers GM Daniel Briere wasn’t going to help Blake without getting something more than two pieces (Walker and Grans) that the Kings don’t particularly need. The Kings also parted with a 2024 second-round draft pick and, important to the financial ramifications of this trade, they retained 30 percent of Provorov’s salary. The Kings also received defenseman Kevin Connauton and forward Hayden Hodgson in return from the Flyers.
The Kings will have a $2.025-million cap hit on their books for Provorov. That’s not a good look but it’s better than Petersen’s $5 million — of which they could only bury as much as $1.125 million in the AHL — which they clearly trying to unload. Provorov’s impact as a player can be debated, but Columbus is getting a minutes-eating defender who will now have a more-palatable $4.725 million cap hit. L.A. already has the impact shutdown blueliner they want in Gavrikov, and now it’s about keeping him.
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Blake may be able to do it. Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic wrote there is belief that the Kings could land Gavrikov on a two-year extension at $5.7 million on average. Prior to Tuesday’s trade, Gavrikov’s agent, Dan Milstein, would not comment to The Athletic on talks between the Kings and his client, but Pierre LeBrun reported that Milstein has told the Kings he wants a two-year deal. Previously, Gavrikov and Milstein were determined to test free agency. The short term — and the potential for a larger deal when the cap could rise sharply in 2025 — is something that might work, rather than a longer deal, which the Kings would want.
Blake, who might be available for comment in the coming days, now has approximately $13 million of cap space, according to CapFriendly estimates, after starting the day with about approximately $7.5 million. That could be enough to get Gavrikov locked in, keep their top four on defense solidified, and leave room to bring in a goalie to pair with Pheonix Copley. That could mean retaining Joonas Korpisalo or bringing in another option from the outside. The Kings might also work out an extension for Gabriel Vilardi after his breakout 23-goal season. Vilardi, 23, will be eligible for salary arbitration.
Gavrikov is the first big piece in this. The 27-year-old with a sunny nature and sound positional game left such a positive impression that Drew Doughty jokingly mused about donating some of his salary if that could get a deal done. Blake surrendered his first-round pick for a second straight draft to get him and Korpisalo. Going back to square one, with a need for a tough left-shooting defenseman, would be a huge blow the Kings would like to avoid. Not landing Jakob Chychrun in a trade was notable, but the Plan B switch to Gavrikov worked, and he may be a better fit in the end. But that’s contingent on keeping him.
About Doughty’s recruitment and his “offer” to help re-sign him, Gavrikov cracked last month, “He’s just talking. I’m still waiting for the check. Shouldn’t be a problem for him, I guess. … Drew is awesome.” He went on to extol the virtues of his L.A. teammates, praising Doughty and saying how playing with defense partner Matt Roy “was a pleasure.” If that continues, it will leave Kings fans more assured about this offseason.
Those who aren’t keen on seeing prospects leave the organization might lament losing Grans, but visions of Brandt Clarke in the lineup next season should mitigate that. Clarke still must prove he’s ready, but the wildly talented 20-year-old made it OK to trade Brock Faber (who clearly loves his native Minnesota and may not have signed with the Kings anyway). Clarke had 83 points in the 43 Ontario Hockey League games he played upon returning to junior hockey after some time with the Kings. He made Walker expendable. And with the right side of the defense still stacked, his presence made Grans worth losing in order to deal Petersen’s contract and get that cap space.
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(An interesting aside to the trade is Hodgson, 27, who is signed for 2023-24 on a full one-way deal worth $800,000. It was part of a two-year contract former Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher signed the winger to. Hodgson has played in seven NHL games. Therefore, he’ll get his action with the AHL’s Reign.)
True, Blake sent out some valuable assets to part with Petersen. Walker should get more of an opportunity in Philadelphia after coming back from major knee surgery to play in 70 games this season. Maybe the 21-year-old Grans, a second-round pick in 2020, can break through on a Flyers team that’s finally recognized they’ve got to rebuild. The Kings didn’t trade their second-round pick this year, but they’re down to only four picks total in 2024. Eating $2 million of Provorov’s contract through 2024-25 is cost-inherent.
But how many Kings fans thought Blake would be stuck with Petersen — and the task of trying to rehabilitate him in 2023-24 — after his so-so results with Ontario last season? Blake created that problem, but on Tuesday, he also found his way out of it.
(Photo of Cal Petersen: Kiyoshi Mio / USA Today)
