alt="LA Kings Insider with Rich Hammond" />Ryan Smyth will be out of the lineup for up to one month, Terry Murray said after practice today. Murray would not detail what Smyth’s “upper-body” injury is. As expected, Alexander Frolov will skate on the first line. Teddy Purcell will skate with Handzus and Simmonds.
Murray said Rob Scuderi continues to be day to day with his lower-body injury.
More details to come a bit later.
son of a b
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Clune! Kings need that scrappy middleweight…Call up Clune!
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Doh!!
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Although just thinking out loud, this may hurt Ryan’s chances of making the Olympic team, and with Anze not playing… it gives the Kings an interesting advantage of having our two top players generally rested for the 2nd half of the season and playoffs…
Brownie’s games leads me to believe that he could benefit from a rest from his wear and tear…but international/Olympic hockey tends to have less hits with the bigger ice surface so it may not be so bad
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Here’s a test for ya…
Fro, time to prove your worth.
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Now that is just great! Really, this sucks!!!! Well Frolov is going have to show he belongs on this team and for all of you Fro supporters this is his time to put up or say sayanara! He has no excuse now for not performing on the 1st line.
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Great, two lackluster, heartless wimps to the rescue, i.e., Frolov and Purcell. Bring up Clune already, and raise the intensity a bit. Purcell and Frolov are both energyless players that contribute to the dullness of King games.
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Wow, a month? Sounds like a pretty severe injury. Man, what a total bummer.
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son of a… Who was it that said we wont see him till after the olympic break?? i blame you for jynxing us!!
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Well, this will be THE test of the season.
Will Frolov be a part of LA’s future?
Did Kopitar take his game to the next level, or was it beacuse of Smyth?
We shall see…
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drop parse to the 3rd line and move teddy to the second…parse it a better energy checking player…purcell can’t contribute to a checking line…cuz he sucks
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Rich,
Can we assume there will be a call up now? I agree with others, it would be great to see Clune up here.
Keep Purcell on the 4th and move Richardson up, at least he’s earned it!
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5 of 6 seasons Fro has scored 21+ goals.
2 of those were 32+.
He has 4 goals and 16 points playing on the shut-down line this season.
And if he didn’t do the little things right, THEN HE WOULDN’T BE ON A LINE AS IMPORTANT AS THE SHUTDOWN LINE.
If you can’t see the value of having a guy like Frolov on this team, then maybe you shouldn’t follow Hockey.
It’s mind boggling how easily people(fans) are persuaded by a few others’ comments.
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Nice silver lining Shakes.
Also, who knows how long it’ll actually be but I’m glad to hear ‘up to one month.’ I initially read speculation of 4-6 weeks elsewhere, so I’ll take it.
And yes, big test for Fro, but maybe a bigger one for Kopi. I personally think he’s got it.
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Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
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Looking at the schedule, if it is indeed a month, that’s 15 games, up to and including the game against the Flames on December 17th… however… the next Kings game isn’t until December 26th… nine more days! So, in effect, it looks like if Smyth is out a month, it will actually be 5 weeks. Oh well.
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In a sense im a little relieved its only 1 month, I had a feeling it was going to be worse than that. And its total BS that the league wont step in and demand that the injuries be made public during the regular season, I can understand during the playoffs where you play the same team up to seven times to be hush hush about the details.
Wow, we’ll see how the top line does with Smith out. We are going from having a guy who’s mindset is DRIVE TO THE NET, to having a guy who’s mindset is go back and fourth with the puck along the boards until you lose it. Id rather have Simmonds on the top line, but we’ll see how it goes.
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Grrrrrrr! this is what we’ve been waiting for INJURYS! we’ve been so lucky so far, here;s the test for the team to overcome adversity and have a good test of our organizational depth, better early in the season, big test boys!
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Why all the love for Clune? Because he had a couple scraps in pre-season? I really don’t think the answer to replace our second leading scorer is a 4th line banger. I’d like to see Loktionov way before Clune…
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Ersberg,
If Fro could match his talent with his heart/passion level he would be a consistent 40+ guy.
I don’t know about you but it does appear to me that he takes shifts/periods/nights off.
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Shakes,
This year the Olympics will be on NHL ice, not the bigger Int’l ice as in the past.
Regardless, I think it will help Brown.
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With so many nhl teams being hit by significant injuries, you couldn’t help but wonder when the Kings would have to deal with one.
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@Ersberg.. 100% agree with you. it reminds me of the weird negative snowball effect that happened with Cammy. I didn’t think he was a puck hog or anything and then you started seeing people call him “Lord Cammy”(Anthony) that oddly caught on
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I agree Tantrum, what is all this love for Clune? I don’t want a scrapper on that line, I want a scorer. Bring up Loktionov.
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@ Kevco: great point, totally forgot!
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Agreed Josh,
Parse brings much more to th 3rd line. However, TM likes his pairs and figures that chemistry with Parse and Stolly is too good.
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Josh E is right.
Put parse with Zues and Simmonds. Purcell sucks and cant play defensive hockey. THey need to either do that, or put Richardson on Handzus Left, and Call up a Center not named Lewis from manchester to Occupy the 4th line.
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I love Purcell. I really hope that he gets his act together and has the opportunity to stick around. He has a lot of talent that he’s keeping to himself. I know that he has yet to prove himself, but I really hope he wows the non-believers.
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i understand the reasons why team’s hold back injury info…but it does seem like the people who hold this info are being vetted harder than the CIA…
does smyth don a jacko disguise when he leaves the house…?
is he in injured player protective custody…?
i mean, can the casual observer figure it out or is he now in absebtia until he’s better…?
anyway, his loss is huge, but is all relative to his replacement…
remember…
use the force, fro…!
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Lombardi is with the Monarchs this weekend. More will be revealed.
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Now we will see if the Kings are really a “playoff bound” team or a “first couple months of the season only” team!
Here is Frolov’s chance to show the front office, teammates and fans what he is capable of and that he rates 1st line minutes. If he’s a no-show, then he’s outta here come season end if not sooner!
Kopi now needs to demonstrate that he has what it takes to remain the leagues leading scorer without Smyth. If he can pull it off, maybe the biased East Coast reporter’s will start washing his sack like they do just about everyone else!
And, the team as a whole needs to step it up, get physical, play with more raw emotion and, stay committed to the system and show the entire NHL that LA is not a 1 or 2-man show.
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Not sure if everyone saw this…Interesting read…Foxy grades the players…
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/11/foxys-tales-kings-jim-fox-report-card.html
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I agree with anon – Purcell has a lot of talent and will prove himself
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BAKO…
ponikarovsky is a similar player to…well…frolov…
and that could be exactly what we already have…which can be good…or bad…what day is it today…?
poni is a big guy at 6′4″, but has been labeled an underachiever, as well…it’s an interesting grab and rumor, but like everything that doesn’t come out of this blog, remains as a skeptical guess…
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KELLY…
yeah…i saw that in the morning today…
simmer a “b”…?
hmmm…all “a” to me…!
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V–
By severity, this is not a tooth problem. It could be a mandible fracture, or a shoulder dislocation/separation/clavicle fracture, the clavicle fracture less likely.
I love the mental image of injured player protective custody. Just slip on a big mama’s suit and be free to add the sling/brace/cast of your choice, as needed.
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OK…Here we go another 15 games of 1 or no goals..
Kopitar will fall far from the leader board withen these next 15 games. If he is the emerging superstar everyone says he is he will continue to be without smyth. I say Smyth took him to another level,and now think we are the Kings of 08-09′ again. 28th Finish…
Someone better step up! Management-Players-Coach-GM-Ice Girls!
You owe it to the fams not to fall like a stone now!!!
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the lowest grades are…
Fro c-
EE D
JJ c
Richardson C
Ivanans C
Teddy c-
Best (no surprise)
Kopi A+
Smyth A+
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this is an unfortunate circumstance for my fantasy team…
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I just think King’s fans need to be prepared.
We can’t expect Frolov to come in and take Smyth’s place. Smyth is not replaceable! He may not be part of the true core of the Kings but the guy will be greatly missed. He is heart and soul personified!
My guess is Fro’s numbers will go up but the line’s numbers will go down. Fro will do his best but he is not really a complimentary player. It will take all three working together to come up with something that works. I see Williams and Kopi having to change their game to somehow fit with Fro but we won’t really know if they can until they play together.
I am also interested to see what Kopitar does. This is quickly becoming his team now. Will he change his game for Fro?
That’s the great and terrible thing about team sports; chemistry is tough to predict.
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I dont have the words…..
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BAKO…
yeah…i just think teams tend to go a little bit overboard when this happens…
i can only imagine that every la king employee right down to the ice girls laundry boy (good gig, eh…?!?!?!) has been threaten to lose their job and be ruined in this town if it gets out what’s exactly wrong with smytty before d.l./t.m. reveals it…
obviously yr right, B…this is a pretty bad thing…
let’s hope smytty gets back in the public eye real soon…
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It’s a good thing we have optimistic fans like IJS.
I’m just wondering, if after the next 15 games everything goes well and the Kings finish with a winning record and Kopi continues to pile on the points, will he be willing to say he was dead wrong?
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No biggie, back by end of December. We’ve endured much worse.
Only 15 games, although none are gimmes. If we can squeak out .500 against these teams, we’ll still be in good shape for the playoffs. We need Quick to really step his game up.
Philly
3 Calgary
2 Edm
2 Van
Chi
Anaheim
Ottawa
StL
San Jose
Phoenix
Dallas
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Fro playing with Kopi and JWilly should be a good dynamic line. I agree with most of the posters on here about Fro. At the same time we’ve seen 7 seasons of Fro so I think to argue that he could be this or that is beginning to fall on deaf ears. Could Frolov be a 40 goal scorer? Yes. But for some reason or another he is the way he is. Like Popeye once said, “I ams what I ams, and that’s all that I ams.”
On another note Chicago is about to sign Toews, Kane and Keith to extensions. So does a roster player become available. Maybe Sharp??? @ about 4 Mil next to seasons. Who wouldn’t do that trade? For who I don’t know but it’s nice to dream.
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V–
Don’t want the player, unless it’s for a song…
Love the name, though: ‘Po-ni-ka-rov-sky’, kinda rolls off the tongue.
What was interesting is Brian Burke’s opinion of Pony… When he was talking about the Toronto scoring problems, last Saturday on Leafs Lunch, he listed the absence of true top-6 forwards on the team, save for Phil Kessel. No Pony: Oops!
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I love the positive attitude I’m Just Saying….sheesh..
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RJC76..u talkin’ bout me? Who’s the “he”?
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The loss of Smyth is a huge bummer, but it’s not the end.
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BAKO…
well burke seems to have achieved the no-small-task of making the leap to a statue from a caricature of himself…he needs an editor, ’cause the man loves to say things he shouldn’t…in pony’s case, i remember that quote you brought up and i also remember he also said around that time that each player had the consistency and the toughness of a delicate pastry about to be served to artie lang…
toronto is in such a mess…and burke has got his big fat mouth and work cut out for him…however, i really think he might have bit off more than he can chew this time with the leafs…i don’t know if he’s the right guy for them…to me, burke is slowly turning into a mini-me version of slats…sure, bb’s got a ways to go before he can compete with the ol’ stoggy’s foggy’s…but he’s definitely doing a fine job making significant headway..
all in all, i would take a pass on poni…
maybe we all need to wear our fro’s during this time…kind of like a rally monkey (B…i know you’ll like that!)…
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tullskull
If you’re of the same opinion as I’m just sayin, then yeah it could be directed at you as well, but the original comment was directed towards him.
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Lets see who steps up. I say Stoll and Frolov get hot
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Sorry RJC I it took me a while but I actually did figure it out all on my own!
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KellyHrudey,
Just wanted to ask if you are aware that there already is a very prominent member of the LA Kings blogosphere who goes by the name “RudyKelly?”
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I love that…
Fro’s Fro!
Like Dancing Harry’s multicolored wig, except blue and silver, Yes!
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RJC- I will apologize right now if you think it will help.
“I am sorry to the entire Kings team and management for thinking we will not do well with both our new additions hurt. Please make me eat my words” Kopi, Fro, JW lets show them that Ryan was just a fluke on that first line”
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Oh sh…Well, even if he spends a long time on the mend, I think the boost he gave the team in the first six or seven weeks has been priceless. It WILL give TM a fair chance to see what Fro’s got in the tank when playing on the first line, though. Let’s hope for the best.
It seemed having Parse and Purcell on the same line was really good for Purcell. It’d be nice if TM could try that again.
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I agree with the bring up Loki or Moller comments.
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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
God this is so depressing. I don’t see myself living anymore…ok a little extreme. Hopefully Fro is sick like he CAN be.
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To all you guys calling for Clune.
Could you please tell me why?
1 point and 7 PIMS in 8 games this year.
Yeah, he’s the answer.
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Go get the Hanson brothers, because even Joe Magrath who bought every piece of garbage in the market took his team to the Championship and won LOL
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