We’re trying something different today; before tonight’s game in Columbus I sat down with Cameron Franck over at Rink Royalty, who was kind enough to have a question and answer. You can read our responses to their questions here; but I had some curiosities about the Kings as well.
Union and Blue: How have Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo fit into the Kings lineup?
"Rink Royalty: Gavrikov and Korpi have been tremendous at fitting in seamlessly with the Kings . All of the players on the Kings’ roster love them and think they’re both amazing guys on the ice and off the ice. The two biggest needs the Kings had going into the Trade Deadline we’re left-handed defenseman and goalie. So, bringing in both of their needs through one trade was a great move by GM Rob Blake. From Gavrikov and Korpi’s perspective, both have said that everyone made them feel welcome and that they made their transition easy and smooth."
U&B: Will either player sign in LA after this season?
"RR: Long time defenseman Drew Doughty has already been trying to convince Gavrikov to re-sign with the Kings this offseason. But, there hasn’t been a whole lot of noise thus far on whether or not they’ll re-sign at this point. We would certainly love to have both of them back."
The Kings have a great history dealing with the Blue Jackets. So good, in fact, that my third question was one I simply couldn’t go without asking…