With A Few Days Under Their Belts, Gavrikov & Korpisalo Excited To Jump Into Playoff Race

A midseason trade is never easy, for a variety of reasons. We saw that firsthand with both sides of Wednesday morning’s deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets. We first lived the emotions of the departure of Jonathan Quick and now that we’re two games removed, we’ve lived it more through the perspective of the players acquired in Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo.

For both players, the move was made easier in their eyes by several members of the organization.

From new teammates to new coaches and to those around the team in different roles, Gavrikov commented on behalf of the pair to thank everyone for how easy they made the transition on two players. Both have young families who were suddenly moving across the country at the snap of the fingers. For as exciting as the hockey move can be, these aren’t marbles, to use Todd McLellan’s phrase. These are people and that side of it is challenging, even when handled well.

“It was such a warm welcome here, the organization made the travel for us so easy and I just wanted to say thank you for that, we really appreciated every detail,” Gavrikov said. “Our teammates, everyone here is just top notch, the people here, guys have tried to help us out to try to make things easier for us. It was exactly what we needed and we appreciated it.”

A move like that can certainly be a lot to handle, but for those coming to Los Angeles, they’re jumping from a team towards the bottom of the standings to a team in the mix not only for a playoff spot, but for a divisional title. It’s a big jump but it’s an incredibly exciting jump.

Gavrikov – That’s a huge opportunity for me personally, and for this team. We’ve got to stick together and keep it going, every point matters right now.

Korpisalo – That’s awesome. I mean, every single game matters so much, they’re huge games, every single one. I’m just really excited to get in there and help the team.

Joonas Korpisalo on stepping right into a playoff race and helping the team win –

"It’s awesome. These are the games that you enjoy the most. It’s more pressure, but you play for these games. It’s exciting."

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) March 5, 2023

The move from an intensity standpoint is one part of the move for the pair of players, but it’s not new for them, either. Both players have postseason experience as both played a role in Columbus’ run in the bubble year back in 2020. Korpisalo played a starring role as the Blue Jackets eliminated Toronto in the opening round before falling to the eventual champions, Tampa Bay, in the first round proper. He holds the NHL record for most saves in a single game, 85, via a five-overtime thriller versus the Lightning. Gavrikov averaged more than 23 minutes per game, fourth-highest on the team, skating regularly on a shutdown pairing with David Savard.

As General Manager Rob Blake shared, things picked up with regards to this trade in the 48 hours leading up to it actually happening. Korpisalo joined Gavrikov out of the Columbus lineup on Monday and by Tuesday evening, their destination was confirmed together. Korpisalo admitted he didn’t know or expect much of anything until that time on Monday, but that things advanced quickly from there and he learned the next day he would be going to Los Angeles.

For Gavrikov, his situation was much different. Held out of the lineup for 17 days before he was actually traded, his waiting game was much longer than Korpisalo’s was. So, while he maintained his highest level of professionalism during that time, he was certainly happy to find a resolution and get back to playing once again. Now he’s two games in and feeling more and more back to full strength.

“I’ve ever been in a situation like that before, so I didn’t know exactly what to expect,” Gavrikov said. “I didn’t know how fast it was going to go, but as a player, you want to play. Even if it was just one game or two, it was weird to watch your team play, it was just a different world off the ice. You had to adjust yourself and it took almost two weeks and I didn’t expect that, to be honest, but also what could I do? I just waited, I was still on the team with my teammates around me and I had to practice every day, but it was still the same for me, I didn’t change.”

Gavrikov’s arrival into the Kings lineup came 48 hours sooner than Korpisalo’s, with different circumstances dictating that. Gavrikov will be an everyday regular for the Kings and had not played for so long, so the Kings wanted to integrate him into the lineup as quickly as possible. For Korpisalo, he joins Pheonix Copley in the net, forming a tandem in which both players will play and both players are important. The Kings opted to give Copley the net on Thursday, as a sign of trust and faith, while also allowing Korpisalo to settle in with a practice day.

That practice day came and went on Friday and Korpisalo’s time was pegged for Saturday evening against St. Louis. When he got the call versus the Blues, he was excited and ready to go, posting 24 saves on 26 shots against to earn the victory.

“I’m just going to give it 100 percent every night and that’s all I need to think about,” he said. “I just have to play my game and not worry about anything else. That’s what I’ve been doing this year and I’m not thinking about anything else but stopping the puck.”

Now, the focus is all straight ahead for both players.

The pair of former Blue Jackets are working to integrate their styles and skills into the way that the Kings play. Korpisalo’s job is perhaps the easier of the two. Just stop the puck, right? Still, Todd McLellan indicated that there are different calls and reads when playing the puck that Korpisalo has to adjust to, as well as figuring out the team’s penalty-killing structure.

“I don’t think there’s a ton for me as a goalie, I just need to see the puck and stop it,” he said. “There is some stuff, with playing the puck, where I’ll get more comfortable, so I’m going to work on that.”

It’s a bit more detailed for Gavrikov, who is a part of the systems and structure while skating out. If last night’s game versus the Blues is any indication, he’s picking it up pretty effectively, to the tune of 28 shot attempts for versus just six against, in more than 15 minutes at 5-on-5. Partnering with Matt Roy on a very effective second pairing, Gavrikov looked even more comfortable on night two than on night one, with the expectation he should continue to grow as he learns and absorbs more about the way the Kings play the game.

“It was an adjustment for me, it’s different tactics, but it shouldn’t be a problem to adjust myself,” Gavrikov said. “It might take a little while to be sharp with the details, but other than that, I think it’s going to be okay.”

Looking ahead, it’s two wins from two games played with the newly acquired pair in the lineup. Both have taken well to the Kings thus far and the Kings appear to have taken well to them. With the team’s magic number to clinch the postseason now sitting at 33, and 19 games to make it happen, it’s full steam ahead towards reaching the second season.

Kings on the ice shortly, Insiders, with a practice report to follow. Expecting we’ll see Zack MacEwen for the first time here this morning and planning to chat with him for a story in the coming days!