June 23, 2025 | 10:20pm ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

KINGS LOOKING TO MOVE FIRST-ROUND PICK

Kings GM Ken Holland

The Los Angeles Kings are exploring the market and dangling their first-round pick in this week’s NHL Draft in an attempt to add more draft picks.

Last summer, the Kings, albeit under the command of then-GM Rob Blake, moved down in the first-round and traded their first-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens for their first, a second-round pick and a seventh-round pick.

It appears new Kings GM Ken Holland is looking to do something similar.

The Kings own the 24th overall pick in this season’s Draft, and have a pick in even round except the second-round, and own a second seventh-round pick.

Meanwhile, Holland is also exploring the market for a scoring winger and a defensive, rugged defenceman.

Contract negotiations between the Kings and blueliner Vladislav Gavrikov have not yet bore fruit and it is becoming more and more likely that Gavrikov will hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent July 1.

Numerous reports have linked the New York Rangers are the primary target for Gavrikov if he does not sign a new deal with Los Angeles.

Holland may shift his focus to other free agents, such as Ivan Provorov or Dmitry Orlov, to replace Gavrikov, or he could pursue trade options. The Kings are among the teams interested in Rangers defenceman K’Andre Miller, who can become a restricted free agent next week.

Up front, the Kings are believed to have interest in right wingers Mitch Marner and Brock Boeser, both of whom will test the free agent waters and are on our Top UFAs List.