alt="LA Kings Insider with Rich Hammond" />Terry Murray just said that Alexander Frolov will be out of the lineup tonight, along with Trevor Lewis. Murray had strong words about Frolov, in terms of his game and his commitment to the game. I’ll be posting quotes ASAP.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
LAKingsInsder.com provides in-depth, independent coverage of the Los Angeles Kings. Its content and reader comments are not subject to approval or review by team personnel.Bio
Rich Hammond has covered the Kings, on a full-time or part-time basis, since the 2000-01 season. He previously worked at the Los Angeles Daily News, was the beat writer for the entire John Torchetti era and has witnessed Bob Miller singing country music in a Nashville honky-tonk bar.
E-mail Rich at lakingsinsider@gmail.comRULES FOR BLOG COMMENTING
• No profanity, slurs or other offensive language.
• Personal attacks against other blog commenters, and/or blatant attempts to antagonize other commenters, are not tolerated. Respectful debate is welcomed and encouraged. Posts that continually express the same singular opinion will be deleted.
• Comments that incite political, religious or similar debates will be deleted.
• Please do not post links to websites that illegally stream NHL games.
• Violations are subject to comment deletion and/or banning of commenters, per the discretion of the blog administrator.-
Recent Comments
- FKA PakiFro on Greene injury
- hockeysureshot on Greene injury
- Dominick on Greene injury
- Token on Greene injury
- Doc. Mark 1968 on Greene injury
- Michael_DD8 on Greene injury
- DY on Greene injury
- Lexigirl on Greene injury
- v918 on Greene injury
- the dude from the southeast on Greene injury
- tornado12 on Greene injury
- #1faninvegas on Lombardi, on Ponikarovsky
- #1faninvegas on Lombardi, on Ponikarovsky
- #1faninvegas on Lombardi, on Ponikarovsky
- #1faninvegas on Lombardi, on Ponikarovsky
Archives
Key Links
NHL Team Blogs
ANAHEIM DUCKS
- Orange County Register
- San Bernardino Sun
ATLANTA THRASHERS
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BOSTON BRUINS
- Boston Globe
- Boston Herald
BUFFALO SABRES
- Buffalo News
CALGARY FLAMES
- Calgary Herald
CAROLINA HURRICANES
- Raleigh News and Observer
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
- Chicago Tribune
- Chicago Sun-Times
COLORADO AVALANCHE
- Denver Post
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
- Columbus Dispatch
DALLAS STARS
- Dallas Morning News
DETROIT RED WINGS
- Detroit Free Press
- Detroit News
EDMONTON OILERS
- Edmonton Journal
FLORIDA PANTHERS
- Sun-Sentinel
- Miami Herald
MINNESOTA WILD
- Minneapolis Star Tribune
MONTREAL CANADIENS
- Montreal Gazette
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
- Tennessean
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
- Newark Star-Ledger
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
- Newsday
- Point Blank
NEW YORK RANGERS
- New York Daily News
- New York Times
OTTAWA SENATORS
- Ottawa Citizen
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
- Philadelphia Inquirer
- Philadelphia Daily News
- Delaware County Times
PHOENIX COYOTES
- Arizona Republic
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
SAN JOSE SHARKS
- San Jose Mercury News
ST. LOUIS BLUES
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
- Tampa Tribune
- St. Petersburg Times
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
- Globe and Mail
- Toronto Star
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
- Vancouver Sun
- Vancouver Province
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
- Washington Post
- Washington Times
I really wish Frolov would figure it out. Unfortunately, I think it’s going to take a trade to wake him up and even that may not do it.
[Reply]
Wrong direction in my opinion. I don’t get it?????
[Reply]
Something has to be done with Frolov… You could tell in Greene’s intermission interview that he was pissed with Frolov. Package him up and lets get someone who will leave it all on the ice.
[Reply]
[...] frolov scratched Frolov scratched LA Kings Insider __________________ Cornell Hockey – LETS GO RED!!!! I support Dean Lombardi! "Its not [...]
Oh no, Trevor Lewis actually played well against Columbus. Terry Murray making another bad decision.
Rich, what’s going on with Rich Clune? Any word on his injury or when he might get called back up?
thanks
[Reply]
Just trade him so he can play somewhere that they appreciate him and don’t stick him on a shutdown line already.
I wanted him signed to a long term deal but he doesn’t deserve this scrutiny every year.
[Reply]
That’s an ego bruiser
[Reply]
[...] [...]
1g, 3 assists in 8 games does not cut it for a player like Frolov. Not even close…
[Reply]
Well at least he’ll be the best dressed player not playing.
[Reply]
how are we supposed to sign this guy if all we do is piss him off?
[Reply]
Without Frolov playing really well or somebody comparable to Frolov replacing him, this is probably not a playoff team. The bottom line is he needs to get the job done. If benching him helps then it should be done.
Tough for DL to give him a new contract at this point unless he is more productive. So what can he do? Let him walk for nothing or get something in return?
Perhaps he is miscast in his current role. Having said that he can still play hard every shift. Is that too much to ask?
[Reply]
Package Frolov, Hickey, and Voinov, and maybe the Kings can get something very nice in return… Frolov is a King of the past, one who doesn’t give a damn about showing up, hitting, playing hard, etc. Get rid of Frolov and the ghost of the old king
[Reply]
I don’t understand the feelings on frolov here. No matter what he does either negative or positive some fans can’t stand if he is criticized as if he is this great player without any faults. These issues have been issues with him from the beginning. This isn’t new. I don’t have that strong of feelings on him either way but don’t understand the people that seem to think he is the must have and most important player on this team.
[Reply]
it’s pretty much just guaranteeing he is on the way out of town come the deadline. no way frolov will even want to resign here.
[Reply]
I imagine there’s more going on than meets the eye. BUT, if he’s benched for that one play, that is ridiculous. He was trying to get the puck to the point (for a shot) and after the interception, he got back and defended. It was a soft goal let in by Quick. Bad play, but hardly bench worthy. Again, there must be more going on with him and how he is (or is not) fitting in with the guys.
[Reply]
hmmm
[Reply]
Very dumb, borderline immature move.
Next.
[Reply]
What is it you guys aren’t understanding? ONE GOAL IN EIGHT GAMES DOES NOT CUT IT FOR A PLAYER OF FROLOV’S CALIBER. This is why the guy is getting benched!
[Reply]
I agree with the decision.
Its time to part company with this guy. He’s a great talent and I’m a big fan of his game. But from the business perspective…its a contract year and his stock is diminishing real quick with his lackluster play. Teams have been watching, they know he’s a potentially avialable player. So for every bad game he has, we can expect lesser and lesser market value for him. Its gotta happen at this point. Its just not worth it when he hasn’t deliverd…again.
[Reply]
I like Frolov. I love Frolov. I am annoyed and vexed by Frolov. He needs to be doing a little better than 1 goal in 8 games. He’s on pace for 10 goals this season. I don’t think we as fans need to be worried about upsetting Frolov.
Meanwhile, Patrick Marleau is going to be dealt this year. Who thinks DL isn’t interested in bringing his former first round pick to LA?
What’s the line-up tonight? I expect Murray to reunite the excellent Moller/Handzus/Simmonds line. And what does that leave…Ivanans/Harrold/Richardson? Mmkay.
[Reply]
Bob,
He’s a third line player that’s supposed to stop the other team from scoring.
They do that regularly.
Simmonds is highly heralded yet he has 1 goal also. Should he be sat? Williams only has 2…and he’s on the ice the most. Does he get sat?
There’s another level expected from Frolov and to me it seems unfair. He’s pointed out when there are plenty of others making mistakes more regularly.
[Reply]
I hear you bob, but if you use that reasoning, bench Stoll too. 0 goals in 8 games. And bench Quick too. .891 save percentage. At least Fro is tied for 5th in points on the team. He is doing something. Not worthy of a benching for his performance alone. Again, more must be going on.
[Reply]
Burying a guy on a line that is iced to shutdown the opposing teams top lines 50% of the time hardly screams goal-scoring opportunity.
Fro at least had the potential to score goals last season while moving from line to line.
You’re right in that he will be gone, and he’ll be gone for next to nothing or nothing.
Eiher way, the Kings forced him into this situation, not the other way around. They asked him to be a player he’s not, which is where we are today.
Oh well, he’ll go to a contender and show the world how good of a player he really is.
[Reply]
Is DL going to wait another year, two, or three to acquire some middle weight toughness?? Its obvious that Clune is injury prone, so why does DL wait, wait, and wait to pick up an inexpensive middle weight??
[Reply]
Fro is having a tough start to the season, I totally agree with TM. Is he playing on the wrong line? maybe. But scratching him is just dragging down his value. Let’s trade this guy already before he is only worth a second. Crawford did the same thing to Conroy, kept scratching him, and when we finally got around to moving him we got garbage in return.
[Reply]
Oh crap…
I think I know what this means. Barring the flu or injury…
#1- Benching for poor play, which quite frankly, I’m OK with. How else are you going get him to pick up his game? 4th line duty last year didn’t change anything. TM is running out of options in my opinion. If I was him, I’d be frustrated too.
#2- Dean Lombardi is trying to see how well this team does without Frolov. That would tell me something I do NOT want to hear and that’s TRADE. Speculation of course, but why wait until the end of the season when you’ve told your fans you’re going to the playoffs THIS year. This is BIG and telling. The rumors are gonna triple in size and quantity now. Eklund is going to wear out his creative writing handbook.
Like I’ve said plenty of times before, this is all on Fro. He has to play and make the plays, coach or no coach. Doesn’t matter where he pays or what line he is on, he is responsible to make the most out of what he gets. The better he plays and produces, the more minutes he gets. That goes for everyone. Let’s face it, Handzus and Simmonds are no slouches. They can dish and serve to help Fro score just fine. Like someone said before: ‘Write SHOOT in Russian on the inside of Frolov’s visor’ and with Handzus in front, he should score.
Ultimately, the player always has to make the best of whatever situation the coach gives him. He gets paid to produce. Frolov has been the Enigma for YEARS now. How long are we going to wait for him to become that ‘All-Around’ player we all know he can become? It’s on Fro. I don’t see any puppet strings on his shoulders.
[Reply]
this is Murray trying, once again, trying to deflect blame because he doesn’t know what he’s doing.
I’d like to point out that Nash scored once, and nearly did in the 1st period, after waltzing right by Williams.
Murray WILL NOT even play Frolov in the position he rightfully deserves on the 1st line with Kopi and Smyth.
Our defense is crap without Quincey and Scuderi offers us nothing. Not to mention, Drewiske appears out of his league.
It’s about time to actually teach these guys to beleive in themselves, rather than choosing a punching bag for the moment.
With a young team you have to be able to develop your talent, not just train them to be a bunch of “checking lines” that only know how to cycle the puck.
Fire Murray and get us Larionov before we dump another talented player.
[Reply]
Frolov is what Garret Anderson was to the Angels in baseball. No matter what, he is in the dog house!(By the fans)
By benching Frolov it is just admitting this is not a playoff team, which we all knew. Just trade him if you don’t want the guy that lead you in goals last year.
They system is broken, that is coaching, I hate blaming coaching they are not the ones playing but ahhhhhhhh
[Reply]
If Frolov is not good as a third line winger, do you think Stoll is a good 2 line center?
[Reply]
LOL khanon! Nice non-sequitur.
[Reply]
And Williams is a 1st line winger? May be we need to bench TM and our GM?
[Reply]
Oy.
No matter what happens with Frolov this year, I feel the fallout will make Cammy and Sully look like distant, meaningless memories.
I might have to take a vacation from hockey when he is traded or resigned, because Kings fandom is primed to be torn asunder.
[Reply]
Rich, was the flu a factor in either benching AT ALL or was it 100% performance-based?
[Reply]
So put him on a scoring line…
[Reply]
i have an idea, i think jared stoll is a way bigger concern than fro. stoll has been really bad for the exception of 1 game. i think we need to trade stoll and jj for someone like a jordan staal so we have a legit second line center. also i think either fro or simmonds should get a shot on the number one line with kopi and smyth. put percell and moller on the third line with zues and let him mentor them as he has simmonds. simmonds is ready to step up and play as an offensive player and he has the size, strength, skill and gritt to be a good contributer. i think we need to redefine some roles and change things around. it would be nice to also have 2 centers on our 3rd & 4th lines to avoid all the terrible draw losses in our own end resulting in big plays against us.
[Reply]
Here is what I hear…. ‘confusion on the team’. Let’s look at the facts. I remember during Fro’s draft year reading the bio in THN before the draft and they said ‘you know what you’re getting… he’s a goal scorer’. For some reason this quality that he has, has not been maximized here in LA. Brian Boyle seems so far to be doing alright with the Rangers who have lost only once and Matt Moulson is playing on the Isles first line. Is this an indication that players often don’t flourish in LA’s system? I really don’t know if it is.
I do think that DL has a clear vision of what he wants his team to be like, but for one reason or another (which I don’t understand) there is clearly difficulty in getting it to snap into place.
[Reply]
Frolov deserves better than this man
[Reply]
Good observations by “Number 6″ — I was concerned ablut letting Moulson go and keeping Teddy–Boyle will never have the grit –good call(probably) there–I do think we need to do a trade fro FROLOV–it’s his last year and he certainly is not happy here–we need a great center if he goes!
[Reply]
Frolov has talent no doubt, but when it is displayed at his convenience and not the teams, well that is where I do not like Frolov. Regardless of which line he plays on, he should always be the threat he can be when he steps on the ice. I won’t lose sleep if he gets traded, even for a six pack!
Go KINGS!!!
[Reply]
You know Danny-
Quisp has been talking about Marleau being trade bait. He’d be the better fit IMO. I shudder at the thought of Stoll and Fro and a few picks for Marleau and a Left Wing, but it is starting to look like that. I’d HATE to have Fro in our division elsewhere.
Man, I can’t even stop talking about a possible trade with Fro in it. I need to lie down.
[Reply]
I just want this team to start playing like men for a full 60 minutes. Take ownership of the team already. Too much reactive play in the last few games in my opinion. Let’s go Kings. Turn it on already.
[Reply]
Wait a second. Is this the lineup for tonight? As per lakings.com
http://kings.nhl.com/club/depthchart.htm?dcid=228&navid=DL|LAK|home
[Reply]
Lets see, Brown 5 points, Stoll 5 points. Purcell 3 points all on the 2nd line. Fro 5 points 3rd line. Zues 5 points, Simmonds 3 points. How about playing the top goal scorer from last year, on a SCORING line? Why does the 2nd line get a pass? Who does not believe that Fro would score more with skilled linemates? And yes, Williams let Nash right by and no one has said a word about that.
[Reply]
I have an idea. Why don’t DL & TM just bench the entire team? Half of the team would already be benched if you were the coach.
The point is that you aren’t the coach. I want TM to do whatever is necessary to get this team to win now, in the immediate future and the distant future. If Fro doesn’t look like he should be here because of “lasiness”, then package him up for someone who does.
Bench Fro. So that it gets through his skull, and everyone else’s as well.
[Reply]
Marleau will not waive his NTC
[Reply]
He had a bad game…it wasn’t just that one turnover…he didn’t look good in this one. However other guys have also had bad games, but he’s the only one being benched. Interesting.
[Reply]
waves,
If that is the line-up, I would like to hear the explanation for why Harrold is playing center when Murray criticized him his last game for taking a face-off as a center when Richardson was kicked out, leading directly to a goal.
The quote was “Richardson got thrown out, but Lewis is the center iceman. He’s supposed to take it, not Peter Harrold.”
So if Harrold shouldn’t be taking face-offs, I can only hope he is not playing center tonight.
[Reply]
i dont think we would get marleau, he is way too soft. we really need a second line center, stoll is a third line player at best and is not really of any value if he isnt dominating in the faceoff circle like he did last year. i would even like to see moller get a shot at centering a second line between brownie with fro, simmonds or williams
[Reply]
Barry,
I could be wrong but I remember reading that Marleau said he would waive it if he was asked. I might be making that up in my mind.
Still… your word against mine :) Care to tell where you got that info, since you state it as fact?
[Reply]
Seesh. These lines are really peculiar. Ivanans on the third line.
BTW more than 50 responses regarding Frolov’s benching!
Now that what you call PASSION!!
FRO should be on the 1st line, plane and simple.
Murray bench the whole secon line while you’re at it. You …
[Reply]
Is he benched for his play, or is he sitting because he is sick?
[Reply]
I really don’t understand this at all! If we are going to bench players strictly on performance (forwards only)
I would bench these players in order…
Stoll
Simmonds
Zeus
Brown
Lewis
Purcel
Ivans
Ivans
Ivans
ok…Frolov one game
Ivans
Ivans
If that doesnt work…Fire TM
[Reply]
“Patrick Marleau has not been asked to waive his no-trade clause.” -San Jose GM Doug Wilson
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Strange-Marleau-trade-report-debunked-by-Sharks-?urn=nhl,184860
[Reply]
Ok… This is completely opposite of your Terry Murray quotes from yesterday. when TM said that changes have to made, but you have to get your best players onto the ice. Doesn;t make sense. and for those of you saying Lewis played well… he sucks. He was a 1st round pick, he has no reason to be on that 4th line. They just have no where else to put him. Trade him to NYI maybe he’ll find success like Moulson did. We have one good player on the 4th line, and that is Richardson. Get the guy some wingers and we’ll see some good play at the bottom end.
[Reply]
i really think our head coach is a problem, he obviously doesnt put our players in a role that best fits them. we have the wrong murray, ANDY was a much better coach
[Reply]
I would guess Moller replaces Frolov on the third line. Moller will work as hard as he possibly can to stick with the team; his effort is easy to see, unlike Frolov’s more sublime skills.
My guess is Fro is being shopped to teams in the East. I would love to see him go to Boston for Toronto’s first rounder. I don’t believe that is going to happen though.
[Reply]
JDM – Beat me to it. Waves, I think I’m more bent about Ivanans on the 3rd line. Sure we’re short Left Wings, but how that would help us, I have no friggin clue. THis has to be a webmaster error. Harrold at center? LOL
Matt- He’ll wave. JDM is right, especially to move to SoCal. I believe I read that his wife loves it here. Don’t go posting any BS trades at HockeyBuzz buddy, OK?
Marleau started the year strong. 6G 1A 7Points. Doesn’t look too soft to me.
[Reply]
Geez
One bad game, I repeat, ONE bad game, and he’s scratched?
He’s been having a really nice season so far. During our 4 game winning streak, which lines were the best. That’s right 1 and 3. Frolov – Zus – Simmonds were fantastic during that streak. Remember they outplayed Heatley-Thornton? That was a fun game.
Now let’s see, a quiet game against the Ranger & Wings, sure, but the whole team was quiet. Then 1 bad game against the Jackets, and Murray decides to solely blame Frolov for the loss.
[Reply]
Will, Ivan is taking the place of Fro! 4th line: Oscar/Harry/Richie
[Reply]
This is not all about point production people. Frolov does not play like he should every game. He shows up when he wants too and that just does not work on any team.
Will this shake him up? No, I doubt it. He knows that if he doesn’t get a contract with the Kings, he’ll get one with another team and if not, he’ll go to the KHL.
Either way, if he don’t want to play the game, he shouldn’t.
[Reply]
What a complete joke! This guy gets scrutinized to no end. We’ve caged this bird way too long. Let him fly elsewhere. Dude’s hungry!
How can we scratch Terry Murray?
As for trades?
Barker and Skille for Fro!
[Reply]
I don’t know about using Boyle and Moulson in the argument about Frolov or the Kings. Boyle is playing strictly 4th line minutes with the Rangers. I do recall a lot of people here saying that Boyle should be playing on one of the top lines. Apparently we aren’t the only organization who thinks Boyle’s not a #1 or 2 center.
Moulson’s a nice player, but he’s playing for the Islanders. he’s getting top line minuites and top PP minutes. He’s not lighting up the score sheets so far.
It’s obvious that I haven’t been impressed with Frolov’s play, but we need this guy to be great for us to win this year. We’re not a better team with him siitting in the press box or playing on the 4th line. But we also can’t continue with the lethargic play he’s showing us AGAIN this year. This isn’t a one time incident. If it was, I’d be screaming at TM the same as some of you guys are. This has been the problem with Frolov his entire career. His indifferent play was masked earlier in his career because the Kings were such a bad team. He was the best scorer on a team that couldn’t score. I think this team has more talent than any other in recent memory. It’s more important now for him to play at the highest level possible..whether that’s on the 1st line or the checking line.
If some of you guys are right about him being mis-cast on the checking line, why is it asking too much for him to play good, smart hockey on that line? Do w e want a player sulking because he doesn’t like the line he’s on? If this is the case, we need to move him as quickly as possible.
[Reply]
Good. It’s about time really… Not like many others are playing any better but Fro needs to get his head on straight and not at OUR cost and OUR time.
I’ve always said in the past three years or so that Fro has been the laziest player on the ice – it’s almost too bad he has skill because it would be easier to dump him without it…
[Reply]
For all of you that obviously aren’t that observant, Murray gave Frolov every opportunity to make up for his crappy pass to the Blue Jackets player that resulted in a big goal for them, by rewarding him with the most ice time out of any Kings forward, and also put him on the ice in the last minute when our goalie was pulled to see if he could generate anything scoring wise. What did Frolov do? Put ANOTHER pass right on the stick of a Blue Jacket player in their end, which led to another goal.
Geez I can’t imagine why he’s being benched or single out as having a bad game.
Time to trade his lazy ass out of town….
If he doesn’t do anything in his first game back from being benched, we’ll know what kind of character he has. Most guys get mad when they are a healthy scratch and come back wanting to prove something, so we’ll see how he reacts….
[Reply]
Next we’re all gonna hear about Wayne Gretzky becoming the coach of the Kings. 8 games and the world blows up. I hope Terry Murray doesn’t read this stuff. Deflating as hell.
[Reply]
wow! Lots of different views out there. Are we all watching the same games? Frolov has been virtually invisable except for his puck possesion down low. Great asset, but where are the scoring chances? He rarely looks for the shot.
Trade JJ? What? now that he is finding himself and who else will play the point on the PP?
Sorry AK47 but I dont feel lewis is cutting it. Lots of guys were talking about how Moller gets knocked off the puck easy. Well, so does Lewis. Moller offers much more in return.
Agree about Stoll, however he is fighting some arthritis. Have you noticed that his faceoff tech. differs a little from last year. Bad change or arthritis reasons?
Agree with the benching of Fro.
Was actually hoping DL made a move on marleau.
Quick: yep some weak goals. Some really great saves. Have you noticed the type of quality chances other teams are getting on us? CLB had lots of high % quality chances. How many did we have. This goes for some of the other games as well. Are you going to blame him for Gaboriks rocket upper shelf?
[Reply]
I’m glad people aren’t jumping to conclusions when it could just mean Frolov is too ill to play.
[Reply]
Michal Handzus
“3rd” line guy. Shutdown guy. Overall bad ass.
He has 2 game winning goals!
He plays on the same line as Frolov and isn’t as skilled offensively.
Sorry, but Frolov has to bring a little more than just lazy play.
[Reply]
Matthew:
I think Marleau would absolutely waive his NTC to be reunited with Lombardi. After being stripped of the “c,” what’s he going to do, force SJS to keep him and then walk next summer? That would be pretty funny actually.
[Reply]
Malachi Crunch -
How you can say Frolov’s hungry is beyond me…when have you EVER seen him play hungry? Most of the games he looks like he just finished eating a turkey dinner and needs to go pass out on the couch…
[Reply]
House Burning Down
That’s 3 bad games..not 1.
A quiet game by one of your best players = a bad game. A quiet game by Ivanans can fly under the radar..It can’t happen with one of your best players. The fact that it has happened for 3 games in a row is unacceptable.
[Reply]
Dave in TO,
I agree. There are other players I would bench before Frolov.
1. Ivanans – bad penalties, bad penalties, bad penalties, year after year.
2.Stoll – he’s doing nothing. nothing. nothing.
3.Brown – before he started scoring recently. now’s he’s OK
4.Handzus – is he sick too? He’s been garbage since the Isles game.
5. Purcell – he’s been trying to make it for a couple of years now, yet he’s still not scoring. AHL all-star for life.
6. Ivanans
7. Ivanans
and so on….
[Reply]
WWTMD -
When a player is listed as a healthy scratch, it means just that, he’s healthy. If he was scratched becasue he was sick, they would say scratched with flu-like symptoms.
[Reply]
Dear god, what a piece of news to wake up to.
I thought Murray JUST SAID you need your best players on the ice and benching doesn’t accomplish anything?! Either he is a self-contradictory wanker or Frolov has a strong touch of the flu.
If this is strictly a performance-based benching, as others have said, goodbye Frolov. Perhaps airing a segment on you buying your fancy clothes on the same night that you got an assist on Nash’s goal wasn’t the best idea.
I just looked at that lineup on LAKings.com and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. PLAYOFFS? PLAYOFFS???
[Reply]
Personally, I’m a team more than a player guy.
This team has once again disappointed me. There is a lack of fire that leaves winnable games right there, points lost that should’ve been won.
Whether Fro is the cause of that or not is the question. I DO know that the veteran balance of this team has changed with the addition of Smyth and Scuderi. If the newcomers believe that the softness comes from his corner, it wouldn’t surprise me if Frolov is traded, and from my point of view it would be quite sad.
Could the Kings be a playoff team without Frolov? As currently constructed, likely not. Do we have what it takes in the minors? Likely not. Even before today this team needed more second line firepower, and perhaps that represents weakness at center on that line.
Still, this team needs an offensive zone makeover, and considering the money decisions coming up it wouldn’t surprise me if Frolov goes this year.
[Reply]
nykingfan,
I also said the whole team was quiet as well.
The way the Kings played against the Jackets, that’s Murray’s fault. Murray shows no emotion behind the bench. If we had a guy like Tortorella, he wouldn’t allow this team to have a DEFEATIST attitude after ONE PERIOD. No emotion form the coach during the game. The whole sucks. Bunch of losers. Scared in adversity. At least Marc Crawford would scream at them to WAKE THE **** UP, then we would have an exciting comeback in the 3rd period.
With all that said it’s still not enough to justify benching Frolov. Not to mention Fro is not playing in a role where he can succeed. Used as a “shut down” winger, gimme a break.
Go ahead Dean, trade Frolov.
Who are we getting in the trade? Some grinder with limited skills?
[Reply]
Kevin
Michal Handzus is a solid 3rd line center when he wins faceoffs. As for his two game winning goals, both were on the PP. I could be wrong but that line has 1 or 2 goal playing 5 on 5 in EIGHT games. Let me do the math for you that equals 20 goals at 5 on 5 this season for that line. Even Toronto can do better than that.
Other than the 1st line, no other line is getting the job done. Rather than benching players, how about mixing it up first….oooppps sorry thats TM’s trademark, my mistake.
[Reply]
I really cannot understand how the Fro lovers can’t see that he has a problem with playing with heart or any drive at all. It’s time for not only Fro to wake up, but those who love him as well.
YES he’s a great player BUT he doesn’t play.
[Reply]
We Need speed on this team. If we`re finished with Fro then get some wheels. we are s l o w.
[Reply]
Hmmm … Looks like Kings is not yet a strong playoff team. Maybe it’s not just players. Let’s bring in Wayne Gretzky in the organization (not as a head coach). He might be a missing piece to complete the puzzle.
[Reply]
Any one of those players blaming Frolov should look in the mirror because I saw a lot of mistakes. He just made the most obvious one.
What did Williams do to earn that top line spot? Really? Until the Kings put Fro with true goal scorers, I don’t think he will do as well as he could.
He is Russian and English is not his first language. Do they have a translator there for these talks? Maybe his response is culturally appropriate. I don’t believe for a second that he doesn’t want to win.
That said, if the fingers are going to keep pointing his way, trade him for another Flyer. Then he will at least be someone who Coach Murray “knows.”
[Reply]
House Burning Down
Thank you….I thought I was the only one thought Zeus was playing like garbage. Between Zeus and Stoll, we’ve lost almost as many games already this season as last becasue of clean face off loses…must be Frolov fault.
[Reply]
Frolov’s english is fine.
[Reply]
Lombardi and Murray Suck.
The Kings suck because of them and now we will have another “rebuilding” process to go through when the owners figure out how clueless these two bufoons really are.
Alas…
[Reply]
Please Scratch Brown, Stoll, Handzue, Simmonds please…just saying
[Reply]
There’s an interview in Joyce’s book with the Cherenpov kid, the one who died young. He explains that when he takes the ice, he likes to float around the first few shifts while he sizes up the game patterns and the opposing players. Joyce notes that the scouts look at each other and nod: that is a smart way to play the game. The kid later dies of an enlarged heart.
Being deceptive is part of the game and for forwards that means easing off from time to time. Thats a good way to steal pucks and passes.
If the coach doesn’t get it because he does not understand that’s how his player is playing, he is telling them to play stupid–what should the player say in response? You coach are an idiot? You do not understand? Or just say nothing?
IMO Fro and Kopitar are the only forwards on this team who can consistently create for others. Fro plays with two players of marginal offensive talent. The Kings defense features 4 defenseman with little offensive spark. trading fro is going to worsen an already anemic offense–and I bet makes our defense worse also.
As others pointed out if they plan to trade Fro, then benching him makes it hard for the Kings to get any value when they trade him.
[Reply]
Oh yah Bench Williams too Murray! Just Saying.
[Reply]
I wonder how many goals Marleau will be expected to score on the third line if he comes over?
[Reply]
Frolov does two things that prohibit him from maximizing his potential. First, he holds the puck below the goal-line. And everyone admires his puck-possesion ability. OK great. The problem is he rarely generates anything with that possession. His favorite end-play is a wrap-around, which is usually weak, end the puck ends up being covered by the goalie. Second, when holding the puck along the boards (and everyone oohs and ahhs over his puck possession ability), his prefered end-play is to throw the puck to the point which is not inherently a bad thing. But it can be costly and usually is a low-reward play. As a coach, instead of not playing him, I would actually try to change the way Frolov plays. I would prohibit Frolov from going below the goal-line and from passing to the point. Yes it’s extreme (but not as extreme as benching him) but the point is to change Frolov’s attitude with the puck; to get him thinking about getting the puck to high-scoring areas and getting himself to the net. He takes the easy way out, and by benching him, so is Murray.
[Reply]
So, a goal scorer who is thrown onto a checking line isn’t scoring enough and it’s because that player isn’t giving effort.
Maybe Kopitar can take his place on the 3rd line and Ivanans can play center on the top line?
Wow.
I would say that Murray was thrown into a coaching role and isn’t giving his best effort, hence the 3 game losing streak and the quiet locker room in Columbus. Isn’t a coaches job to pick the team up? Heaven forbid you or your coaching staff take any blame. What about the sorry penalty kill? What about the lack of scoring on the 2nd line?
How exactly does Murray know what’s has gone on with Frolov or the Kings in the last 7 years? Sounds to me like someone is making excuses.
Sorry Murray, but the days of rolling out 5/6 goons and winning are pretty much over. I wonder who the next whipping boy after Frolov is gone?
Mr. Murray, if you can’t adjust to the new NHL, then please go away.
[Reply]
I wish that all the players had the same attitude as doughty and johnson. And that is to go out game after game and do the best they can to get the job done. The attitudes on this team are terrible and it starts with Kopitar. He ultimately is the leader and if you have a guy like him go out with the attitude “I am better than everyone else” then that attitude will reflect all the way through. I don’t know about everyone else but game after game I see too many guys trying to be heros and flying solo. Seems like every player for himself and there is no team only the name LA Kings. I only pick on kopitar because like i said it starts with him and you can see it in every play he makes.
I have to agree with one of the statements made and that is that some of these guys are and will not flourish under DL or TM. I mean really there is a reason why someone like lewis went 1st round they just don’t know where to use. He doesn’t fit. Hence fro is the same way except i think he wants to get traded. He is a 30 to 40 goal scorer under the right coaching and management. Simmonds is another example the kid can hit like there is no tomorrow but we have not seen any of that like we did last year. I think of that old saying get in where you fit in and right now it seems like 90% of the team just isn’t fitting in.
[Reply]
Dave in TO says:
“As for his two game winning goals, both were on the PP. I could be wrong but that line has 1 or 2 goal playing 5 on 5 in EIGHT games. Let me do the math for you that equals 20 goals at 5 on 5 this season for that line”
Handzus has 3 goals this season. 1 of which was on the PP and that game the Kings lost.
Frolov has 1 goal this season which was on the PP.
Not sure what your argument is here, but again, Frolov should have more goals than my boy Zus.
Anyway which way you slice it. Fro isn’t cutting it.
[Reply]
Richard, Murray has presented a scape goat named Ivanans already in previous quotes in order to replace Frolov. Also I believe Ivanans is also replacing Frolovs production on the 3rd line. Its a vicious cycle where the coachs are never to blame.
Also Dan,
If marleau is to come here he will replace someone on the top line. Remember if you played for Dean or Murray before you don’t have to prove yourself to be on the top line. Just stand there and look pretty (Williams, Calder, etc.)
[Reply]
There a lot of Williams bashing this year for some reason. H skates his ass off and is scoring at a point per game, he has made some mistakes playing the point on the PP… but im pretty sure he didn’t ask to be there
[Reply]
Well, if we are going to start bashing, Purcell – 2nd line??? He has been horrible and contributions? A couple timely goals, but certainly not skilled that a second line guy should make. And the passing??? NOT!
[Reply]
Why do they always pick on Fro?
[Reply]
“Why do they always pick on Fro?”
Because everyone in the world hates him and wants to see him fail. Why? Because everyone in the world his evil and poor fro is an innocent victim. Why? Because teams and character and ultra hard work are far less important than an individual. One person is what matters. If everyone in the world can’t see that, then everyone is wrong and fro, of course, is right. Why? I have no idea.
[Reply]