Ex-jackets eager to chase Cup with LA Kings as ‘new guys’

They’re living like kings.

More specifically, Joonas Korpisalo and Vladislav Gavrikov are living like Los Angeles Kings now, a little more than two weeks after the Blue Jackets traded them in the middle of the night on March 1 as a package deal. A day later, a private jet scooped them and their families up in Columbus and carried them to L.A., where two vehicles awaited with keys inside. “I didn’t expect that, to be honest,” Gavrikov said. “That was such a warm welcome. They made things easier with the travel ... for us, our wives, our kids and even the dogs. They made it easy and that was huge. You didn’t have to think about what was going on with your family because they took care of it.”

After initially staying in a hotel, Gavrikov and Korpisalo just moved into their own places near Hermosa and Manhattan beaches, located south of L.A. They’re a couple of minutes from the beach, five minutes from each other and 10 minutes from the Kings’ practice facility in El Segundo. It’s not a bad way to transition to a new team, and that’s without mentioning the Kings were sitting second in the Pacific Division before hosting the Blue Jackets on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena.

“The guys welcomed us (warmly), and we just got right at it when we got here,” said Korpisalo, who’s 3-0-0 since the trade. “That was important to get the win in my first game and we’ve been winning a lot here. It’s just winning all the time, and that’s the fun part.”

Prior to hosting the Blue Jackets, the Kings had gone 7-1-2 in a 10-game stretch and showed no signs of slowing up. It’s a winning vibe the “new guys” find refreshing.

Korpisalo, who wasn’t expected to face Columbus, started 3-0-0 with his new team, alternating games with Phoenix Copley. He also had a sterling 2.00 goals-against average and sizzling .929 save percentage in that time. Gavrikov also got off to a great start in L.A. with a goal, three assists and four points in his first six games, skating with Matt Roy on the second defensive pairing.

Gavrikov, who’d been scratched as a trade precaution for two weeks, made his Kings debut March 2 against the Montreal Canadiens. Korpisalo played his first game for L.A. two days later against the St. Louis Blues. It’s been a whirlwind for both and a new beginning for Gavrikov, whose offseason negotiations on a contract extension with the Blue Jackets went sideways.

“I wish we could’ve gotten it done last summer, but what’s done is done,” Gavrikov, 27, said. “It was hard to deal with, when you start hearing bad things about you (during negotiations) and you start to realize you’re about to leave, especially since we liked the city and the people. It’s hard to accept, but you can also see that maybe it’s an opportunity to move on.”