With Kings’ future on defense uncertain, which players could Los Angeles target?

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LOS ANGELES – The way Ken Holland laid out how he’d have to address the defense corps, just weeks into his new job running the Los Angeles Kings, sure feels preemptive now.

Holland embraced the uncertainty around Vladislav Gavrikov and Jordan Spence’s futures with the club. It’s almost as if he drew some initial sketches toward a plan, in case he didn’t have one or both going forward. A sampling of what Holland said Wednesday before the NHL Draft:

“Defense is at the top of the to-do list.”

“I’d like to re-sign Gavrikov. If I don’t, then I’ve got to go out and get a defenseman or two. Couple of vets, couple of pros.”

“The defense has got most of my focus.”

Get the picture?

The mission was made clearer Saturday when Holland traded Spence to the Ottawa Senators for what amounted to three draft picks, after the Kings spun the third-round pick from the Senators into a deal with Carolina for a fourth-rounder in this draft (which became OHL center Jimmy Lombardi) and a 2026 third-rounder. They also added a 2026 sixth-round pick for Ottawa that originally belonged to Colorado.

It comes as the Kings prepare themselves for Gavrikov’s possible departure through free agency on Tuesday. While he’s been talking regularly with Gavrikov’s agent, Pat Brisson, Holland said after the draft that there wasn’t any communication on Saturday, and struck an ominous tone about retaining the big-minute shutdown blueliner.

“Looking more and more like he’s going to go to July 1,” Holland said. “As we all know, I would anticipate that there’ll be some players around the league that are UFA that are going to sign between now and Monday. Not sure if Gavrikov is one or if he’s not. But if he’s not, then we have to obviously wade into the market and get a defenseman or two.”

Between Gavrikov walking to free agency and Spence being dealt, the Kings are suddenly looking at replacing two regulars from a 105-point team that came up short yet again in the first round of the playoffs. And if Gavrikov leaves, they will need at least one defender on each side. Putting him back with Mikey Anderson — Holland liked what he saw from their work together last season — would have been one answer to their dilemma.

But it’s more likely they’ll need to sign free agents or consider a trade. The Kings want right-shot Brandt Clarke to take on an expanded role and they’re counting on Drew Doughty to be healthier than last season, when he came back from a serious ankle fracture to play in the 4 Nations Face-Off but was less than 100 percent for the playoffs. And it was more than apparent Holland and head coach Jim Hiller didn’t see the smaller-sized, 24-year-old Spence fitting in their vision of the blue line.

“There’s a lot of hope and belief that he’s going to really develop into an important player on this team,” Holland said of Clarke. “We’re in a window right now where the team, in my opinion, can compete with the best teams in the National Hockey League. It’s hard to have too many young defensemen on a team when you’re trying to compete with the best teams in the National Hockey League.

“That’s sort of the conversation I had with (agent) Peter MacTavish about Jordan Spence. Ultimately, I didn’t see us having Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence in the two and three holes on the right side. I believe there’s room for one. Ultimately, we made a decision on Brandt Clarke and wanted to give Jordan Spence an opportunity to go elsewhere and to have an opportunity to further his career.”

Holland previously said that Spence didn’t make a trade request, but his conversations with MacTavish indicated that the agent felt Spence should be moved to a team on which he’d be a regular player. Even though Spence played 79 games last season, that wasn’t going to be guaranteed in L.A., and his sharply reduced usage in the series against Edmonton pointed toward a potential separation.

“(We) basically moved him because I’m not sure he would be in the lineup every night,” Holland said.

Jordan Spence played 79 games for the Kings last season but was likely facing less ice time under the new management. (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

As it stands, the Kings have their longtime pair of Anderson and Doughty, and Clarke played a lot with Joel Edmundson last season. Kyle Burroughs and Jacob Moverare also return, but both are viewed more as depth options who can step in when injuries arise. Whether it’s on their second pairing or third, there are significant holes for the Kings to fill.

“I think there’s some good defensemen,” Holland said, answering a question on gauging the market. “But obviously there’s 32 teams. I don’t know if there’s enough defensemen for 32 teams, but all 32 don’t need a defenseman.”

There’s also their interest in Mitch Marner. When subtracting Spence’s $1.5 million cap hit, the Kings have what PuckPedia estimates is $23.2 million available for next season. They also must re-sign pending restricted free agent Alex Laferriere and would like to extend UFA forward Andrei Kuzmenko on a short-term deal. They also want an experienced backup goalie behind Darcy Kuemper.

Getting all that done, and importing two defensemen, makes for a tighter fit when it comes to Marner. Also, Pacific Division rival Vegas is reportedly in talks with Toronto on a sign-and-trade transaction. Holland would not comment on his team having any contact with the Maple Leafs, opting not to “go down that rabbit hole.”

The Kings already won’t be the same club that let a 2-0 series lead get away and watched Edmonton kick off another run to the Stanley Cup Final. With or without Marner, they’ll still need defensemen. Let’s sketch out who could be targets.

Trade

Best options

Bowen Byram, K’Andre Miller, Connor Murphy, Darnell Nurse

Byram, 24, is ideal because of his age and his all-around game. A trade would break him out of the left-side logjam in Buffalo behind Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. Miller, 25, is another arbitration-eligible RFA, and the New York Rangers are taking calls on the left-hand shot. Murphy, 32, is big, can play tough minutes, shoots right and only has one more year with a $4.4 million cap hit. And while you may laugh, Holland did sign the erratic but talented Nurse ($9.25 million AAV) to that outsized eight-year contract in 2021. He’d look better if Edmonton took back a third of that salary.

Other options

Mario Ferraro, Matt Dumba, Erik Karlsson, Mattias Samuelsson

San Jose probably wouldn’t like to move Ferraro, 26, to a division rival, but he’d be reinvigorated with a more competitive team in a contract year. Dumba, 30, has fallen off greatly in recent years but never underestimate the craving for a right-hand shot who can chew minutes in a third-pairing role. Karlsson, 35, is available and would move to a contender, but he’s still too expensive, even with some of his salary already retained elsewhere. Samuelsson, 25, has five years left on his deal but could be a reclamation bet.

Free agency

Best options

Aaron Ekblad, Dante Fabbro, Nate Schmidt, Ivan Provorov

Ekblad, 29, is the top free-agent defenseman if he hits the market after winning two titles with Florida. He can still handle heavy minutes in all situations and will be paid well. Fabbro, 27, doesn’t have size but the puck-mover set himself for a nice payday after flourishing with Zach Werenski in Columbus. Schmidt, 33, is best suited in a third-pairing role but he’s still a terrific skater and was excellent for the Panthers. Provorov, 28, can be effective as long as he isn’t a team’s No. 1 option.

Other options

Dmitry Orlov, Ryan Lindgren, Cody Ceci, John Klingberg, Brian Dumoulin

Orlov, 33, struggled badly in the postseason for Carolina but he can still be effective in the right role. Lindgren, 27, has some hard miles on him but he’ll put his body on the line as an undersized blueliner. Ceci, 31, could fit on a third pair with his size and right-handed shot. Klingberg, 32, is healthy again after dealing with hip issues for years, and he showed in the Oilers’ run that he can still be a contributor. Dumoulin, 33, plays a steady, safe game but might want to remain with an Eastern team after his trade to New Jersey.

(Top photo of Vladislav Gavrikov: Harry How / Getty Images)

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