Ponikarovsky stuff

We’re going to have to come up with shorthand for this guy, because Ponikarovsky really fills a headline…

Anyway, I’ve talked to both Dean Lombardi and Terry Murray about this signing within the last hour, and I’ll have the extensive quotes when I have time to transcribe them, but here are some highlights…

— The Kings liked Ponikarovsky last year and went after him before he was traded to Pittsburgh.

— The belief is that Ponikarovsky has the potential to fill that third-line left-wing role, alongside Handzus and Simmonds. Lombardi described him as being a stronger skater than Frolov, but perhaps less skilled with the puck.

— Lombardi said he talked to Alexander Frolov shortly after the (now-contested) Kovalchuk signing with New Jersey, but that it seemed clear that Frolov was interested in moving on.

— Speaking of moving on, Lombardi said he’s not keen on waiting to see how the Kovalchuk drama plays out, and that he is mulling one trade option in his mind. For obvious reasons, he didn’t disclose the player.

I’ll try to get these quotes up fairly soon. I also have a number for Ponikarovsky, so I’ll try to get to that at some point also.