alt="LA Kings Insider with Rich Hammond" />Here’s what Terry Murray said, after today’s morning skate, about Alexander Frolov being scratched. Frolov stayed on the ice (with Trevor Lewis) long after the rest of the players left the ice — typical for scratched players — and stayed after the bus left. I have put in a request to talk with Frolov before tonight’s game. Here are Murray’s quotes…
MURRAY: “Frolov is out. That’s really a hard one. You don’t want to take your best players out of the lineup. That’s how you win games. Your best players have to be the best every night in this game. It’s such a competitive division, a competitive conference, a competitive league, that you just havfe to have your top guys on their ‘A’ game every night in order to give yourself an opportunity to win. It’s a hard thing, but those are the demands that the players have to meet.
“I haven’t been happy with Fro’s game for several games. The game the other night is the straw that broke the camel’s back, in my opinion. The turnovers, the careless play… It has to be better, and you have to come out with that high level of intensity, with smart work, hard work, and you’ve got to love the game. You’ve got to love the game in order to be a player. The talent is there, but it always is the work that brings out talent. And I need more.”
Question: Did you talk with him about it?
MURRAY: “Yes, I sure did.’’
Question: Was he receptive to the things you had to say?
MURRAY: (long pause) “There’s nothing coming back. That’s the 10th meeting along those lines, and nothing ever comes back. So, I don’t know.’’
Question: You don’t get any reaction from him?
MURRAY: “There’s no response.’’
Question: Isn’t that kind of troublesome as a coach?
MURRAY: “That’s been going on for seven years.’’
Question: So you’re not the first coach…
MURRAY: “No, I’m not. Not the first coach, not the first GM and not the first in line in any one of those categories. Teammate… It’s got to get better. You’ve got to buy into the team. That’s the only way. If we’re going to change our culture… That was a big issue last year, with me coming in here, in my meetings with players at the start of the year. We’re changing the culture, we’re changing style, philosophy, system, and we need total buy-in. That’s the only way you can become a good hockey club.
“As I mentioned already, the best players have to lead the way. Someone has to be the general leading the charge. Sometimes it takes a group of those guys to lead the charge. In our case, that’s what we need. Fro, when he’s on his game, he’s a 30-goal scorer and he’s a big part of our hockey club, but it has to come with that love for the game, and being an emotional leader and a leader in the execution part of the business. It’s too hard out there. It’s so competitive. It’s very demanding every shift for minutes, and again, our better players are the guys that set the tone for games and for practice. That’s where you prepare to win games, is in the practice, and that’s an area that I have to have him better in.’’
okay by me. Nice direct questions rich and didnt like what I heard.
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It was nice knowing you Fro.
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Maybe Heidi Androl should coach the Kings… she and Fro seemed to be on the same page when they went shopping…
Seriously, Frolov is Frolov… you trade him and he excels much the way Kovalev did when the Rangers finally threw up their hands.
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byebye fro
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Oh my god. It’s much worse than I ever imagined. I am specifically riveted by “There’s nothing coming back. That’s the 10th meeting along those lines, and nothing ever comes back [...]There’s no response.[ Isn’t that kind of troublesome as a coach?] That’s been going on for seven years. [So you’re not the first coach] Not the first coach, not the first GM and not the first in line in any one of those categories. Teammate…”
I’m trying to think of the last time I heard a coach talk openly about a player’s problems like this. I can’t imagine that Frolov will be a King for long.
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Unbelievable. That’s exactly what I was saying. There’s more going on. I had NO IDEA this was going on for that long though. No response? Just silence? That is sooooo bad. We have the coach saying publicly that Frolov is NOT a team player. Very damaging words. This can’t be good for a trade either.
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Thanks for the quotes Rich.
Seems odd with the whole ‘no response’ thing. I understand they want and ask much from Frolov, but at times he seems accountable for the whole team. Does anyone remember how Frolov responded last year when he got benched? Did he step up his game?
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For those of you who thought Rich would be edited by the Kings, here is your proof that he isn’t.
Fro is gone. Plain and simple.
Give it a couple of games and he’ll be wearing a new sweater.
Mugs
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Wow. Those trade rumor sites are going to have a field day… scratch that, they’re going to field DAYS with this until Frolov gets traded. It appears inevitable now. Let the speculation begin.
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Hey, Rich…
If TeMu can’t get anything out of Fro, maybe YOU could interview him and maybe get some answers?
He’s taking quite a trashing on here, would be nice to hear the other side. I understand he might not be the easiest “get” but that’s why they pay you the big bucks!
Would make a nice change of pace from all those canned responses from Brown after every game.
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I smell a trade coming…
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WOW!!!!
The word for today kids is : [b]TRANSPARENCY[/b]
As a fan, this is PLATINUM for information about my team. Guess my only concern is would the public talk hurt his trade value, but I’m thinking everyone in the league knows what Frolov is and how he is. There are always a few organizations that will say ‘We can fix him’ or have a player that says the same thing.
I picture Frolov strapped to an ACME rocket a la Wile E Coyote with Dean Lombardi lighting the fuse……
We hardly Knew Ye.
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For a long time now, I’ve been tired of people talking about Frolov being traded, about there being writing on the wall, etc etc. After this…well, what can you say? Now I must admit that there is no way Frolov is going to finish the year with the Kings, and he might not finish the month.
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I’m thinking when he says there is no response he means in his game, not that Fro is just sitting there staring blankly.
That being said, I think it’s time to trade him. We’re playing him on the third line and clearly the coaches have never been happy with him. I’m surprised he’s been with the team this long honestly.
By the way, our third line makes a combined $8.585 million this year. Sounds like a bit much to me!
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… and the hammer came down. Maybe they ought to quit distracting Fro with Las Vegas shopping trips and discussing fashion tips with Heidi and instead have him attend a Darryl Evans hockey clinic. Or maybe they should strap him to a chair and make him watch that kid quoting the speech from “Miracle”, maybe that can motivate him. I do agree, he is gone. It’s too bad because when he’s on, he’s one of the best.
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Just a passing thought…
After this, everything posted here is going to end up on Hockeybuzz 10 minutes later with no source credit (e5)
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Let the bidding wars begin. How about derek roy?
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That’s the sound of TM chucking Frolov squarely under the bus. Sounds like the guy has more of a chronic laziness problem (and possibly attitude problem) than we ever thought.
It sounds like Fro really pissed off TM and the coaching staff this time. From the resignation evident in TM’s words, it sounds like nothing is getting through to Frolov. He’s a rich guy who likes collecting his paychecks and wearing mohair sweaters and sometimes scoring a goal in a game when he feels like it. Of course, the perfect motivator will be when he is traded to the Red Wings for chaff, when he will thrive in their puck possession style.
Perhaps Frolov has been “ruined” by spending so many years in the old culture of the horrifically bad Kings. Perhaps he’s learned he can exert 70-80%, put up decent numbers, garner praise from the hockey media, and live a wealthy life of mediocrity, and that’s just okay with him. This is all pure speculation of course, but seeing as Frolov won’t be Los Angeles’ enigma to wonder about for much longer, I thought I’d give it a shot.
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As a note, by “There’s no response”, I believe Terry means on the Ice in the game there is no response to his concerns. I don’t think he mean’t that Fro just sits there in silence. I could be wrong of course, but that is just odd if that’s the case.
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Can I call this or what? Matt doing it I get.
http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Matthew-Barry/Start-Bidding-on-Alexander-Frolov/125/23757
http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Eklund/Forsberg-Healed-Frolov-Healthy-Scratch-2nite-LeafsWingKostitsyn-Peace/1/23756
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I smell the KHL in the near future.
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Wow, very candid, thanks!
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Yup – I think we all had a feeling it would come to this.
It isn’t an eight-game assessment. It’s a career assessment. Frolov has been this way since day one and there has been no growth, no transformation as a team player. Fine. I just wish the coach could wouldn’t say things that may handicap the Kings in trade talks. Not saying that a trade will happen. Someone should have schooled the coach in the finer aspects of marketing with a positive message.
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I suppose it can be read 2 ways, but to me the question is clear:
Question: You don’t get any REACTION from him?
MURRAY: “There’s no response.”
I read this as Fro simply has nothing to say. If this is true, this is horrible and quite frankly, I am no longer a fan of his. This is not the kind of player I want on my team. If you don’t love hockey and you don’t want to try hard, then leave the damn game!
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“There’s nothing coming back. That’s the 10th meeting along those lines, and nothing ever comes back. So, I don’t know.”
Sounds like unrequited love. Or perpetual disdain. Not sure which statement applies to which person.
The rest of my thoughts are here: http://lakingsnews.com/2009/10/19/pregame-frolov-vs-richards/
But I’ll add a few more anyways.
It is hard right now to separate whether these quotes are truly the most disparaging and least p.c. we’ve ever heard from Murray, or whether the overzealous fan in all us is merely taking them that way.
This just does not bode well for anyone. The only saving grace will be if Frolov comes back with a fire in his belly after this benching. Sadly, it doesn’t appear like Murray is expecting that to happen. If that is the case, it was fun Fro, and I will miss you very, very much.
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When are we gonna scratch Murray from a game? Lets see how well the Kings do with a different coach. I haven’t been happy with a single game Murray has coached since he’s been here. I can’t say the same for Frolov.
Remember when LA tried to show Fro a lesson last year by benching him for a few games and LA got shutout all those games. So when Fro came back people started producing again. All LA is doing is shooting themselves in the foot. Again this is a contract year and they are handling Fro stupidly.
PS Someone please pull up the states at points per dollar average around the league and I’ll tell you Fro is the biggest bargain going on for the past few years. So LA should just STFU and leave him alone. He’s not going to be your Kovelchuck on the 3rd line morons so stop dreaming.
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p.s
Murray was also fired in Philly for not getting along with the top players….Just sayin’
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Another explanation for Frolov’s unresponsiveness (something, I think, that is a little less hysterical than “he doesn’t love hockey” and is a little more plausible) is that he probably hates the coach, thinks that he’s full of [....], and doesn’t feel like responding.
Not a good approach, but I’m guessing Frolov must feel that the personality rift between himself and TeMu is not salvageable.
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Hey, random aside. I just saw that the Wild traded for Kobasew yesterday.
I wanted Kobasew! The return was minimal as Bruin’s just wanted to clear cap space.
I wish we had made that trade. Kobasew would have been the perfect fit next to Zus and Simmonds.
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You haven’t been happy with a single TM coached game?? How about the defensive improvements he brought last season? I’m not denying that the wheels have fallen off, but you don’t think TM ever contributed anything??
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JDM, if what TM says is true (and I have no reason to believe it is not) then this has been going on for SEVEN years.
Fire in the belly?
Clearly that is not going to happen. It’s over.
As I said, this cannot bode well for a trade. His market value just plummeted right before our very eyes.
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wow, i cant blame frolov for not caring about what terry murray has to say at this point. he blames frolov for everything that goes wrong, bashes him every time he makes a bad play and has used him in a unfitting role this season as well as most of last so ya this guy might just not care anymore. pitty to see this talent go to waste
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WWAMD,
If memory serves, Frolov never got benched for a full game last year. He played several on the fourth line, and at times was benched mid-game, but that stretch he didn’t play when he were shutout, I believe he was just injured. I’ll have to double check that, but that’s how I remember it.
… I also know how much you like your revisionist history ;)
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id rather see frolov traded than sitting on that line for the rest of the season
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This is just another in a series of poor decisions by TM. I am very quickly losing all respect for him. If you have had the same conversation ten times, maybe it might be a good time to change your approach. This is obviously Frolov’s game. When you have a player that can control the puck for as long as he can, there are going to be mistakes. He is not afraid to play with the puck and that is invaluable on a team of dump-and-chasers. In fact, instead of demoting your number one goal scorer to the third line, maybe you might want to treat him with a little more respect. I would like someone to show me any other coach willing to place their team’s best offensive threat on the third line.
It is getting really old to see that the shortcomings of a coach are being placed on one individual.
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waves,
I know, I’m not expecting the fire. Only hoping and saying that it is Fro’s only chance at saving face.
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Not sure what to think about the whole situation except this – There is way too much drama going on at only the 9th game. Call it a crazy hunch but I don’t think good (meaning playoff) teams have this much drama this soon.
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As for trade value, I still think other team’s will want Frolov. This could hurt DL’s bargaining position, but if there are enough teams interested, DLs still remains in the drivers seat since he is not up against the cap and does not need to unload him.
I think there will be 3-4 teams interested enough to pit them against each other.
If Frolov is ultimately going to be traded, I honestly hope it is sooner rather than later. Get it out of the way, unless DL is truly undecided on the matter.
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Hey Murray
Let’s cut the bull**** and put Frolov on a scoring unit. You weren’t even matching lines anyway last week. So get him off the 3rd.
You have Purcell – Stoll – Brown as our 2nd line.
That is not playoff caliber.
Here’s is your top 6
-Williams
-Stoll
-Kopitar
-Frolov
-Brown
-Smyth
Use them properly.
PS – So long Frolov. Damn you’re a good player when given the opportunity to succeed.
Just look at these stats
Russia
2001-02 Krylja Sovetov 42 17g 13a 30pts
2004-05 CSKA Moscow 42 20g 17a 37pts
NHL
2002-03 Los Angeles Kings 79 14g 17a 31pts
2003-04 Los Angeles Kings 77 24g 24a 48pts
2005-06 Los Angeles Kings 69 21g 33a 54pts
2006-07 Los Angeles Kings 82 35g 36a 71pts
2007-08 Los Angeles Kings 71 23g 44a 67pts
2008-09 Los Angeles Kings 77 32g 27a 59pts
Go ahead Dean trade him. I’m really excited for that grinder to comeback. Big whoop!
Detroit, Atlanta, Edmonton, Vancouver, St.Louis, and Montreal would love to have this guy. Any team would. Yet we, THE LA KINGS, let these kinds of players go. Shame.
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JDM sorry about your memory!
I guess you didn’t know that Frolov was NOT injured in that stretch. I posted here before about a source who specifically said Fro was not injured and I posted that during his “injury” then Fro came out of no where out of his injury and played. The kings were doing so bad that they needed him. He wasn’t injured trust me.
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JDM agree about Kobasew, would have been nice on the third!
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Maybe he isn’t the problem in the bigger picture. Maybe he is one of the better players that they want to show as the example. Maybe he doesn’t say anything because it has been the same routine for years? Is he lazy? Eh that’s neither here nor there. He is gifted. When he plays well the Kings play a better game.
What if TM would have scratched Brown? We would have lost a few hits in the game versus Dallas and maybe 4 selfish shots. That would definitely light the fire under the team’s caboose.
In any event, the Kings need a win. So I hope scratching Frolov lights the fire. If not, start scratching other key players until they get the idea.
Go Kings!
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Fro is one of the best pack-keeping players along the board and undoubtedly one of the best scorers near the goal. How many times he saved the team with his timely goal when the team seemed going down? He had a bad start … no doubt about that. Probably getting confused with his new role in checking line like Kopi had a hard time with his role at the beginning of the last season. So this scratch may be a good decision to give him some time to recover. I say Kings still needs a player like Fro.
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This just requires a little out of the box thinking. Heidi Androl seems to get through to Frolov just fine. Let’s have her give him a pep talk at one of Dallas’s many fine malls.
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Frolov for Kovulchuk? Anyone? Bueller?
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If he has to go I hope the GM is trying to land Kovalchuk.
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WWAMD,
Well, I’m no conspiracy theorist.
I’ve heard rumblings about what is going on behind the scenes with Fro, but I have not heard that he was publicly announced as injured when he was in fact benched.
The only reason to lie to the public about a benching is to retain trade value. But he was not traded.
If they already lied once, why not just say today that his flu has gotten worse? The set-up was already there. He was already announced as being sick. That would have been easy enough. Murray has to have known it would cause less drama.
Explain that. Weave your theory, but leave out the aliens and the freemasons.
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This isn’t a big shock. Honestly I am really surprised Frolov is still in a King uni after all these years.
Expecting “more” and “stepping up” are phrases you attribute to a 2nd or 3rd year player. When you are asking a 7 year player to step his game up then it’s a clear indication that the team needs to move on.
The lack of response from Fro indicates to me that he doesn’t give a rats behind and thinks he is not the problem. The kings need to deal with this situation and deal with it for good.
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there is no incentive or motivation for a player lik frolov when he is stuck on the checking line in that role. how can he have passion and commitment when all his best attributes are thrown away to play as a stopper. doesnt make any sense and i really think TM & DL are making a huge mistake
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What makes me mad, is that if anyone else on the team make a mistake they get a slap on the wrist….If fro does, he gets in big trouble and misses a game or 2. What’s wrong with this pic? What’s going to happen is that Fro will be traded and like all kings who get traded, He will be on his game again……I love my Kings, don’t get me wrong but there is something wrong there.
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Fro is a 30 goal scorer demoted to the checking 3rd line on a team that has been awful and hasn’t made the playoffs in a long time. There are no surprises. He knows he can go to a better team in a year and get paid HUGE money$$$$ and play on the 1st or 2nd line. I’m sure Fro will buy into a team that constantly makes the playoffs and has a shot at the Stanley Cup. He would like that sooner than latter and probably would love a trade tomorrow. Fro is Fro…teams will pay for a consistent 30 goal scorer with defensive responsibilities. But let something more that a draft pick. We need a big, feisty, veteran 4th defenseman
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Here’s the hard truth:
Frolov.is.done.
That is all.
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man it would take a lot more than just Fro to land Kovulchuk. we would probably be lookin at like 3 players and a draft pick.
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Frolov, Richards, and a first rounder for Kovalchuk?
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Dear Terry Murray,
Calm the hell down. Have some respect for the players on your team. I knew this would happen before the season started when I found out that Fro would be playing on the 3rd line with Simmonds and Handzus. To question Frolov’s love for the game in public is just absolutely ridiculous. Go ahead, trade him. Get another Jarrot Stoll/Justin Williams back and see where that gets you while Frolov scores 35 goals with the Red Wings. You played Kyle Calder all last year and you are complaining about Frolov?? Maybe the person that needs to be scratched is YOU, TERRY MURRAY!!
Sincerely,
MasterAL99
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Anyone who thinks a Frolov for Kovalchuk trade is realistic needs to be benched for tonight’s game as well.
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That would be nice, if Dallas let us trade Richards as part of that deal!
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Yeah, try Frolov, Stoll, Moller, Hickey and a 1st for Kovalchuk. Atlanta could probably still do better than that.
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HEY… Naysayers on this site:
Frolov will have a chance to respond to this benching with his play, positively or negatively. He can respond, with class, by elevating the CONSISTENCY of his play. He can respond, without class, by sulking and withdrawing. That course will negatively affect his value in a contract year. He can respond indifferently, by continuing to play in spotty fashion whenever and wherever it suits him. That course will brand him forever in the Dany Heatley manner, and limit his future NHL potential employment.
But, as a team first fan, I am happy this has occurred, especially EARLY this season. What’s at stake is the ROOM CHEMISTRY. Many of you feel TM is a bad coach; so be it. What you do have to give TM is kudos for having the huevos to take a firm, public stand.
This season is still very, very young. There is a new chemistry mix with the additions of Smyth and Scuderi, very successful veterans on a basically young team. We as fans can only demand that our players care as much as we do about the outcome of the games we pay to see and they get paid to play.
For me personally, it is the EFFORT I crave more than anything else. There is something visceral about a team that leaves its heart and soul on the ice with every check, with every blocked shot, with every strain to beat the other teams guys to the puck.
A player who doesn’t care–ESPECIALLY if the player is uniquely talented–is profoundly disappointing to me as a fan.
If Fro can’t get the communication together with his teammates as well as he did with the beautiful quail Heidi in his store segment, there is a severe problem that can’t be talked under the rug.
I see the KHL in Fro’s future, and that makes me very, very sad.
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i hate to see fro go but if we threw in stoll and purcell i would take that for kovalchuk
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TM….How do you fit a square peg into a round hole? You don’t, you just become another coach out of a job!
Frolov was almost a point a game player in 07-08 playing w/Kopitar.
NHL
2002-03 Los Angeles Kings 79 14g 17a 31pts
2003-04 Los Angeles Kings 77 24g 24a 48pts
2005-06 Los Angeles Kings 69 21g 33a 54pts
2006-07 Los Angeles Kings 82 35g 36a 71pts
2007-08 Los Angeles Kings 71 23g 44a 67pts
2008-09 Los Angeles Kings 77 32g 27a 59pts
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More like Frolov,Teuber,Voynov, Moller, Purcell & a First & third round pick in next years draft for Kovalchuk.
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I think this entire Soap Opera paints an unpleasant picture for the whole organization. I firmly believe however, it has left TM on shakier ground than Frolov.
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You guys are seriously hysterical with some of these Kovalchuck scenarios, keep em coming.
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[...] [...]
I know other people see this as well. Watch Frolov out there. He plays keep away along the boards with his back to everyone else. You think that style of play is going to mesh well with the first or second line?
Lets get this trade over with so we can move on.
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Fro is Fro and thats what you get. Honestly not surprised that he is benched for poor performances, its the coach’s job. If the other said players that have been lackluster the past few games need to be benched then rightfully so, but for a player that is lackluster for 7 years and only shows up his “big” game whenever he wants is a problem. The team is trying to form an identity and expecting a hell of a lot more than scoring goals from a 30-goal scorer plus making him an all-around player is not a stretch for any team or coach. He has potential and skill, we all know that, but if he doesnt want to be an all around player and just score goals well by all means do so. And if he is such a skilled player then he will score in bunches no matter what line he is in, since we all know that he is capable of being defensively sound and produce points from the first 5 games of this season. The point really is that he is not fitting well with the system now that its trying to move forward because he IS being labeled as just a goal scorer and that is fine, but the liability for a weak play is accountable to any line and any player individually. The second line has not produced much but you dont see them handing out middle slot passes for a prime turnover and actually score goals in it. It is lack of focus or not giving a damn, but he has had multiple opportunities to prove himself and to be a playoff team he needs to step up more and become an all around player.
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Maybe we can send Frolov over to Atlanta on a ‘business trip’, have him get Kovalchuk really drunk and behind the wheel of a car…
Ok, that was mean.
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Ike – thank you, I personally agree with you. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Frolov’s linemates. People act like that line is the 4th line. Frolov should be able to create plenty with two hard workers like that on his line, and they complement his puck protection style well. That line is dynamite against the other team’s top line (when they aren’t Froloafing, that is)
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First off, this quote from Cynic made me laugh:
“I picture Frolov strapped to an ACME rocket a la Wile E Coyote with Dean Lombardi lighting the fuse……”
Ok, for the 4th time this week and the countless times in the past 15 months I’m saying it:
Get Kovalchuk.
And go BIG. Package Fro, Hickey or Voynov, a pick or two, maybe Bernier or another player if it comes to that. Totally worth it.
Just DO it! NOW DL, NOW!
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‘Stache:
Well said! Not only are Handzus and Simmonds complementary, they are some of the hardest workers on the team. The problem made clear this road trip is, do you punish the Prodigal Son, or do you continue to watch the hardest working members of your team slide deep into depression because their designated star isn’t quite all there most of the time?
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I really wish that Frolov had said he was too sick to play, but no, he got out there and played despite being sick. It seems he gets no credit or slack for that. His line plays against the most talented players on the opposition’s team. Keeping them from scoring has to be tiring. Not feeling well has to take a lot of energy out of him. He made one bad choice at the end of the period, maybe he should have been on the bench that shift instead of the COACH putting him out on the ice.
I get that coaches want more out of Frolov and no one has found a way to do it. Maybe if, instead of being dumped on by the coach, he were given positive feedback he might respond the way they want him to. Or, maybe, they should just accept and be happy for the exceptions skills that he does bring to the team. That said, a lot of coaches would love to have the production and puck protecting skills that Frolov does provide.
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Kenny – If we want to get Kovalchuk, it would have to be for Frolov, Purcell, Hickey and a first rounder, at least.
I don’t like Murray as a coach of this team but I do agree that in order to change the identity of this team, players either need to buy in or we need new players.
Sad thing about the thought of losing Frolov is that Mr. Lombardi’s stockpile of talent is devoid of any top-notch, high-end scoring to replace #24. Frolov should be a scorer. If he leaves, we need to get a scorer in return.
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Try Frolov, Bernier, Hickey, Stoll, a first and a second as the BEGINNING of a POSSIBLE Kovalchuk package. If that guy is traded, he will command an ENORMOUS return, bordering on overpayment, from ANY team.
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JP
Lackluster for 7 years…find me another player the Kings had over that same period that produced more than Fro? Don’t bother looking there isn’t one!
Why does everyone want to trade Frolov and his $4M contract + draft picks + 3 or 4 top minor league players for a player like Kovalchuk who turns the puck over more than Frolov and certainly won’t want to play on the 3rd line? By the way he’ll cost us everything I just mentioned including his hefty $8-9M year contract to stay and play in LA. Can’t wait to pay $2 or $3 more for that watered down beer. How about $30 for parking.
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Great work Rich
This is more info than any of us could have imagined. I don’t think any of us had an idea that this has been going on for 7 years.
Too bad Fro…It looks like you’ll be able to make your millions in relative obscurity in the KHL. What a waste of talent. Also, what a loser!
I was just looking at the stats House Burning Down posted
He’s never averaged a point a game durng his NHL career. He’s basically a 20+ goal scorer. The league is littered with stats like those. He’s a special talent, Just a waste of it though. Can you imagine if a guy like Simmonds had his talent level?
Let’s hope that somehow by a miracle, this does cause Fro to do a 180..otherwise get him out as soon as possible.
One other thing that hasn’t ben mentioned….I’m sure this has somehow polluted the dressing room. A malcontent can kill a team quicker than no tlaent can.
I say this assuming I’m reading this correctly. that’s not always the case with the written word.
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Dave,
If we traded for Kovy and TM put him on the 3rd line, I’d be the first one calling for his head… but somehow I don’t think that would happen.
Also, your assessment of Kovalchuk… have we been watching the same player?
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What’s really fantastic in all this is that this morning on XM, the NHL Live guys were talking about Rick Nash’s short handed goal and singled out Justin Williams as a guy Nash made look like a pylon.
I like Frolov. Always have. Don’t have a single beef with him. Has he underachieved at times, sure, but this has been a team of underachievers for decades. I’ll take his contribution and give him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the fact that in 7 years he’s had a variety of B-linemates.
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Nice Post Bako…
I have heard before that MANY people here and elsewhere have been sick and tired of Terry Murray and his ‘Canned’ comments each and every night. FINALLY, the guy speaks out and publicly calls out a player that has been hard to pin down for SEVEN FRIKKIN YEARS, and all those same peole can do is COMPLAIN that he’s too hard on Frolov.
WTF PEOPLE?!?!?
Frolov is responsible for how he plays. I DON’T CARE WHAT FRIKKIN LINE HE’S ON! If he’s THAT good, he’ll perform no matter what. Put Kopitar on the 4th line and I’ll bet you he makes them shine! Put Smyth in the 4th line and he DOES make them shine as we have already seen. Good players make the players around them BETTER and they PRODUCE. Frolov produces, but if it has to be the players around him that make him do that, he’s 1 Dimentional and YOU DON’T BUILD A TEAM AROUND THAT! It’s backwards.
Once again, Fro is LOADED with talent, but it’s NO GOOD if he doesn’t use it HIMSELF. If people have to drag it out of him or he has to be surrounded by talent to do it, he’s gotta go.
We’ve all waited 7 YEARS for Fro to reach the status Dave Taylor drafted him for: ALL-AROUND PLAYER. He never developed his defense. 7 YEARS ISN’T ENOUGH?!?
I’m bummed too he can’t nut it up, but I’m not going to make excuses for Fro by blaming everyone else around him. Geez…
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Fro is almost entirely the perfect package … the puckhandling, protection, skill, and goal scoring that can be responsible and make great defensive plays in which this is the name he has made for himself over the years. He needs to be consistent every year for this to be a true superstar. Bottom line, if he has to figure this out every year then he isnt the superstar we all think he is, because its a glaring problem that we see everye year in a string of games from him. He actually has never had a bad year to be honest as far as injuries besides the time alotted to be missed from those but not career defining. for sure he is expected to have some bad games, but he cant possibly have an entirely “lazy” and poor play. As a professional player you wanna compromise to your shortcomigns on a given day … he may not score 2 goals in one game, but hell for sure do not assist on another teams goal! You need to make up for it by being smart and be fundamentally sound.
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dave …
he has been lackluster if he cant elevate his game to another level. again for sure he can score goals but what is expected and needed of him now is to be a superstar and he hasnt risen up to the challenge. Honestly, he has been in every line of this team in the past 7 years and all he can really get accounted for is scoring 2 30 goal seasons and that IS expected of him. What else is expected from him is to be an all around player cause for sure as hell capable of it. Shoudl we take him just for a scoring machine?? possibly, but if i wanna make this team tougher, grittier well then he doesnt exactly fit the bill this time. He can for sure go to the Caps and score a tons of foals with Ovie, Semin, and Backstrom and get paid heftily, but high scoring teams dont usually work int eh West anyway.
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Boy, some of you are so completely delusional about the realities of players and coaches.
As Murray said – it’s been going on way before his time!
What does that tell you? Is that really a surprise to you?!
Frolov’s deficiencies are not due to Coach Murray or GM Lombardi, or Crawford or Taylor, or anyone else before. They have tried to work with him. They saw the talent and the potential and tried to guide him to be consistent day in and day out. Their words, their coaching, their attempts to motivate and refine his game have basically fallen on deaf ears.
No one can deny his talent, but no one can also deny that he is very inconsistent and it is this part of his game that has frustrated the Kings mgmt over the years.
A change would be best for both.
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How can one be surprised? So this has been happening since before the season and you try and incite him by having him on the third line in a defensive role in his contract year? What do you expect? These moronic lineups were destined to fail!
The perfect player for Frolov is Purcell. Purcell is dynamic enough to play both Wings or Centre.
Terry Murray lost me last year, hopefully we lose him this year. Terry Pls go
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Lanny
I would love to get Kovalchuk and maybe he scores 10 or 15 more goals than Frolov. I can guarantee you this, he will cost us 10 or 15 more goals that Frolov. Wasn’t it Datsyuk last season who said Frolov was one of the most underrated players in the league.
A team needs 6 top level players, an Allstar goalie and be surrounded by 12 guys that bring it every night to really complete in this league and have a chance to win a cup. We have 6 or 7 slots to fill out before we spend all our chips on one player like Kovalchuk. Again, he would be a great addition but it has to be addition without subtraction.
Top level
Kopitar
Smyth
Frolov
Doughty?
?
?
Solid players
Brown
Johnson
Simmonds
Zeus
Stoll (if healthy)
Williams
Scuderi
Greene
?
?
?
?
Not ready for Prime time
Quick
Lewis
Richardson
Purcell
Harrold
Moller
Drewiske
Never will be ready
Ivanans
Ersberg
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Time to trade him before he walks for nothing. Fro’s unhappy with the team and this will not help him re-sign. Package him with Hickey, and one of these young guys, Purcell, Moller etc and possibly a pick to bring back a top 6 forward. Then get Brown back with Kopi and I will be semi-satisfied.
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Bye Frolov.
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Goal scoring doesn’t win championships – heart does!
We don’t need ingrates like Frolov or Cammalleri. Give me hard-nosed Canadian boys like Brian Willsie, Kyle Calder and Alyn McCauley.
Pride!
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Rich, can you ask “the room” how the team feels about losing Cammi, Lubo Sully and now it looks like Frolov in 3 short years? Please ask the team leaders if they feel safe with management. When Cammi wanted to be payed like a 30-40 goal scorer, he was shown the door. When Lubo got his pay raise, he also got the door. Sully wanted to be payed, he got the door. Frolov already signed a home team discount contract, but now looks like he will have to take his unappreciated skills elsewhere if he wants to be paid. Is this a pattern?
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Not sounding good at all…He’ll go to Atlanta where all the other Russians seem to be ending up. Man Frolov was such a good player.
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BTW I think Sully was traded because of the lack of production. He had I dunno about 2 years left on his contract when we traded him? Not too sure.
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Maybe you could ask Murray if Frolov’s smile and general “couldn’t care” attitude, after his bonehead play, pissed him off as much as it did me!
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7 years, no post season. 30+ scorer told to be a stopper/checker. i would rather play somewhere else too. dont get me wrong, I BLEED PURPLE, but kings management is starting to remind me of crazy a*s Al Davis of the oakland raiders! i cant believe this is happening! oh yeah, about kovalchuk, when is the last time he made it to the playoffs? one player will never solve problems!!!
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Great interview Rich! I am shocked by some of Murray’s comments. Don’t usually hear a coach be that unhappy with one player. Very frustrated with Fro right now, but not sure putting Ivanans on that line makes any sense.
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Calder was a knucklehead and not good for the team.
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Thanks Rich! I really don’t see it as a problem with being on a third line- A line is a line because he is playing with players that can be offensive minded. Just because they play against other teams’ top lines don’t mean crap! I remember when that was always the case- top line against top line… I guess you don’t see it as much anymore- but thats no excuse. I say trade him
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I am shocked that people are shocked by this.
Every coach, every GM, every assistant GM, has had issues with Frolov’s apparent unwillingness to play hard, for a full 60 minutes, game in and game out, 82 games.
Nobody has a great game every night, and nobody should expect everyone to have a great game every night, BUT…this has been a common and recurring theme with Frolov for 7 years now.
People are surprised by this?????
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C-nut
I concur with that but Kovalchuck would be fun to watch.
Hell, I would rather watch Crawfords team 3 yrs ago than this style of play. We used to put the puck in the net back then. Of course if Crawford had these goalies and d-men who knows how good we would be?
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Quisp, Bako, Cynic, Nykings (good to see ya dude, how ya doin?)…..agreed.
Nope, I had no idea just how bad things were with Fro, I don’t think anyone has. But…it sounds like the Kings have tried everything with Fro, damn….7 years of this???? They’ve tried, they all have. It explains a lot, particularly the rumors we’ve all been hearing. Also, this problem hasn’t just been limited to TM. Fro from what it sounds like has had problems with everyone, Crow and Andy too. This isn’t an isolated incident with just TM. Everyone has to buy into the system.
I think the Kings have been just about as patient with Fro as they can be. There’s talent there, oh yes, talent for sure. But in a contract year he can’t show his true value???? It is truly time to move on folks…..
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It seems pretty clear that Fro wants out and is trying to force a trade. Don’t delay, Dean. Unload him now and get some good “assets” in return.
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Fro-getaboutit..
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Deano L,
Too Good!!!
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