To recap: Sean O'Donnell takes a boneheaded penalty and giftwraps a goal for the other team? Right back on the ice. Dustin Brown takes a bad penalty with the team already down a man? Right back on the ice. Alex Frolov misses an assignment and costs the team a goal? Benched for the rest of the game (despite the fact that the team is down a goal and Fro leads the team in goals), swathed in the red jersey of the 4th liner, and forced into a one-on-one meeting with Terry Murray. That's kind of fucked up. That's like suspending the straight-A kid for talking out of turn. I hope he wasn't sad, that would break my heart.
The Kings haven't been scoring recently, with pretty much all the scoring coming from the Stoll-Handzus-Frolov line. Brownitar has been absent from view since Kyle Calder re-joined their line (I think I should have another line naming contest: Used Condom seems appropriate) and the O'Sullivan/Moller combo doesn't quite have enough juice to feast on the underbelly of other teams. Want to hear a crazy, not true theory of mine? The Kings don't want to bring up Ted Purcell because he has a lot of performance bonuses in his contract and the Kings don't want to pay for them. Insane, but possibly true.
The Kings just had a player's only meeting to try to uncover why they can't put the puck in the GD net, so we'll see how that goes tonight. Something needs to happen, though, because the Kings look pretty terrible right now.
***
If one person boos Lubo tonight, I will freak the fuck out. I will find them and kick them square in the ass.
Prediction: Kings win, 3-2. Goals by Frolov (x3). Then he talks out of turn and gets benched.
You know, I probably come up with a hundred different line combinations between games, and yet Terry Murray always manages to come up with a line that completely blows my mind. The Frolov-Stoll-Handzus line is one such line, and yet it's different from the others because it doesn't make me want to kill someone. The line is actually pretty awesome. All three can play defense very well, all three can put the puck in the net, and all three can play heavy minutes. The line did a fairly good job at shutting down Patrick Kane when they were out there (he got a goal off a line change and an assist on the power play) and contributed 2 goals themselves. If the Kings are going to heavily rely on 2 lines like they have been, they might as well put their best players (and Kyle Calder*) on those lines.
*I'm actually kind of worried about Calder. My brother was at the game yesterday and reported that people were actively decrying Calder's existence, and there were shouts of, "I hate you, Calder!" Watch, someone's going to kill him and then his niece is going to get revenge by killing me in my bathtub and someone's going to paint a famous picture of it. It's been known to happen.
Update: Brian Boyle has been sent down to Manchester, which makes sense since it doesn't seem like he's going to play much. It does kind of suck for him though, seeing as how he got saddled with Zeiler and Ivanans when he played and then Derek Armstrong takes his spot and gets to play with O'Sullivan and Moller.
Also, Denis Gauthier apparently messed up his foot blocking a shot. I'm not one to cheer an injury, but... yay.
Los Angeles Kings(1-2, meh) vs. Carolina Hurricanes(2-1, 4 pts)
7:30 PST, FSN West, FSN South
Do me a favor: reach into my pants. No, in the front. Do you feel that? No, that's my phone. Left. Yeah, right there. That's a boner. That's what Frolov playing defense does to me. Hey, shut up, we can't all be Dustin Brown. You know what, forget it, just get out of there.
The point is, I'm very excited by this pronouncement by Terry Murray that Alex Frolov will skate with Michal Handzus on the prime defensive line for the Kings. The traditional NHL line is that you have to have 2 scoring lines, a checking line and then a goon line. Look at the Ducks for an example of this and see how well this works. The reality, however, is that guys aren't either good at offense or good at defense; guys can be good at both and they can suck at both. There are guys like Sammy Pahlsson, who's great at defense but couldn't score if you put a passed out coed in his hotel room, but most of the time the top defensive unit is populated by failed offenisve talents like Kyle Calder. Alex Frolov is a talented offensive player but he's also the best defensive forward on the team. He's good not only at positional defense and stripping the puck, but he's also great at protecting the puck in the offensive zone and keeping the puck away from the opposing team. A guy like Ryan Getzlaf or Olli Jokinen can't do much damage if they don't have the puck. Placing Frolov against top offensive guys will definitely help the Kings.
Nice defense.
What does this mean for Frolov? Well, it means his +/- might take a little hit and he might not score quite as many points, but overall it'll make him a better player and it'll help the team. I imagine the Kings will move Matt Moulson down to the Frolov-Handzus line when Patrick O'Sullivan is ready to go, or move O'Sullivan to that line to create an ultimate offensive-checking unit. That would definitely put me at full mast.
***
The Kings are playing Carolina tonight in an important grudge match. Nah, just kidding, I don't think either side really cares. But hey, Tim Gleason! I liked Tim Gleason when he was on the Kings and he's done well for Carolina. Still, his face is squishy and I hope Dustin Brown buries him tonight.
Prediction: Kings win, 4-2. Goals by Frolov, Handzus, Moulson and Doughty. Eric Staal's eyes will be too close together.
Apparently Alex Frolov is out with another groin injury. Can we get this guy a masseuse? Hell, I'll volunteer. Sure it's weird, but I'll sacrifice my happiness if it can help the Kings.* Richard Clune also got hurt, but nobody gives a fuck about him.
*"What? No, it's not because I'm rubbing your thighs, it's just that I'm wearing these cords with no underwear! It tickles!"
The Kings beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 last night in a shooutout thanks to Ted Purcell. Matt Moulson skated with Kopitar and Brown while Jarret Stoll pickpocketed a Colorado defender and scored an unassisted goal. Jack Johnson played 29 minutes. These are all things I like to see.
Over at Kings Vision(the multimedia arm of LAKings.com) there are interviews with Dustin Brown and Alex Frolov, discussing what they have been doing to improve their fitness during the off-season. Brownie has been doing a lot of sled runs over at the roller rink at Toyota Sports Complex along with a little muscle building*, while Frolov has been doing a lot of plyometric exercises and joke cracking. It's kind of cool if you are interested in that sort of thing.
*The dude looks pretty built. He was listed at 200 lbs. last year but there's no way he weighs that little this season.
Rod Brind'amour's totally on steroids, right?
It's kind of funny when you watch that sort of thing because you kind of forget that hockey players are such good athletes. I tend to think that there's 2 kinds of strength: there's the ability to lift shit and then there's endurance. Hockey players are probably the best fusion between the two, but we never really notice it. We don't notice it because hockey players wear long sleeves (so you don't notice that they're actually ripped) and because skating doesn't look hard. (Also, I think a lot of people assume hockey players aren't good athletes because they're not black, but that's another argument for another day.) I have friends that wonder why hockey players are only out on the ice for 50 seconds at a time and they just refuse to believe that the guys are basically sprinting out there for the half their shift. It's good for us to remember that these guys are great athletes.
A year or so ago, Rich Hammond had an interview with Dean Lombardi wherein the Kings' GM unveiled what he would like to see the team looking like in a few years. Dean listed the team as follows:
Obviously a few things have changed since then (breakout seasons by almost everyone from the 2007 draft, for one), but you can see this line-up starting to take shape. Cammalleri has been replaced by Patrick O'Sullivan, Murray/Tukonen have been replaced by Moulson or Brad Richardson, and Zeiler I hope to God has been replaced by anyone. Trevor Lewis and Marc-Andre Cliche will probably play together in the AHL this season and then move up together as Michal Handzus and Kyle Calder move on.
Another thing I wonder when I look at this: could we see Frolov and Kopitar together this season? That would make a pretty devastating 1st line and Brown, O'Sullivan and Jarret Stoll would probably make an effective 2nd line. I'm not sure the wisdom in breaking Brown and Kopitar up, but I wouldn't be surprised if something like that happened. Just something to keep an eye on when training camp starts.
Here's an idea we had kicked around a few months ago that I'm just getting to now. Hey, you get what you pay for. Anyway, we here at Battle of California thought it'd be fun to comprise a all-time all-star team for your enjoyment and also because we're bored. Obviously it'd be unfair if I were allowed to choose from the entire history of the Kings, so it was decided that I would only select from the creation of the San Jose Sharks franchise in 1991. What you'll see is an eclectic mix of Hall of Famers, flashes in the pan, and guys that are inexplicably etched in my memory. If you don't agree with my list then, you know, fuck off.
(Thanks to Hockey-Reference.com, which I'm seriously thinking about making my home page.)
Offense
1st Line:
Luc Robitaille-Wayne Gretzky-Jari Kurri
Luc Robitaille is the greatest King in the history of the team and obviously belongs on the 1st line. Wayne is 4th all-time in Kings' points and has the highest points per game total in team history (1.70). Jari Kurri was only on the team for a little while and wasn't as great as he was in Edmonton, but he played a great two-way game and was a leader on the ice. He was my 2nd favorite forward from those early '90s Kings teams, behind someone else that'll make an appearance later.
2nd Line:
Ziggy Palffy-Jason Allison- Adam Deadmarsh
The LAPD line was only really together for one season, in 2001-2002. Though they were never healthy together for a long period of time, they managed to tally 195 points as a line and were 1-2-3 in scoring on that team.* It's crazy to think that those three comprised one of the best lines in hockey in 2002 and by 2004 they were pretty much done as NHLers. When people declare Dave Taylor's tenure as Kings GM a failure they usually neglect to reference that point.
*4th? Jaroslav Modry. Hockey is weird.
3rd Line:
Alexander Frolov-Anze Kopitar-Tony Granato
It's weird to think about, but Alexander Frolov has been on the team for 5 seasons now. He's the last link the Kings have to the playoffs, and for that he earns a spot on this list. Kopitar is there mostly because the Kings haven't had good luck with centers in the past 2 decades. (Seriously, who was I supposed to put here, Josef Stumpel?) I imagine he'll actually earn his way onto this list before too long. Tony Granato was my favorite forward growing up, mostly because he was a huge asshole and had a nice shot. I know, he sticked that one guy in the head, but I thought that was hilarious so it's okay. Plus, he's related to Ray Ferraro and I don't think Ray would allow that if he didn't think Granato was cool.
4th Line:
Ian Laperriere-Dave Taylor-Gary Shuchuk
If hockey goons were The Brothers Karamazov, Ian Laperriere would Alyosha. That doesn't make sense, but it makes me sound smart, doesn't it? Dave Taylor wasn't a great player by the early '90s, but he's still Dave Taylor and he would provide invaluable leadership to my imaginary team. I've always had a strange affinity for Gary Shuchuk that I can't explain and I'd appreciate it if you respected my right to privacy.
Defense
Rob Blake-Matty Norstrom
Rob Blake may be a horrible bastard that enjoys kicking sand in children's faces but he's still the best defenseman during this time period and he would've gotten more recognition in the late-90s if he hadn't been on those horrible, horrible Kings teams. Matty Norstrom embodies what you'd want your kid to play like when he or she were out on the ice. Hell, he's how I want to be when I grow up.
Marty McSorley-Lubomir Visnovsky
Marty probably doesn't belong here because he probably caused more harm than good, but I'll be damned if he didn't scare the shit out of people when he was on the ice. Lubo was a solid NHLer that blossomed into an elite player in the New NHL. Hopefully he can recover his game in Edmonton and make their All-Time team.
Alexei Zhitnik-Mark Hardy
Zhitnik was special for 2 reasons: he was the 2nd best defenseman in a core of young players that the Kings had during the early to mid-90s, and he was the subject of the one of the worst trades in Kings history. Zhitnik was traded with Robb Stauber and Charlie Huddy for Grant Fuhr, Denis Tsygurov and Philippe Boucher. Fuhr would play 14 games for the Kings, accumulating a 4.04 GAA and a Cloutier-esque .876 save percentage, while Zhitnik would go on to be a key contributor to a Sabres team that went to the NHL Finals. Mark Hardy did this:
Goaltending
Kelly Hrudey Felix Potvin
Fuck what other people say, the fact is that Kelly Hrudey had the longest tenure of any goaltender on the Kings and wasn't that bad. Felix Potvin had the best peak of any Kings' goaltender, posting a team-best 2.35 GAA and a .906 save percentage. I had a Felix the Cat shirt during the Kings' run in 2001 and wore it to school throughout that period. I was beaten mercilessly.
So there you go. I'm throwing down the gauntlet to Sleek, O'Brien and the San Jose Clan: come up with your own all-time team that can beat mine. I can't wait to hear how Paul Kariya and Owen Nolan are somehow good.
Last Season: A common criticism of Alex Frolov is that he's inconsistent, a charge that I've never understood. Frolov has increased his point total every single year except for the last, but even then his points per game still went up. By now, we all know what Frolov is: he's a good player who doesn't shoot enough but can control the game with his puck possession abilities. I'm of the opinion that Frolov was the Kings' best player last season when he played, not only because he can hold onto the puck seemingly forever but because he is also extremely adept at taking the puck away from the opposition. Frolov isn't as popular as Anze Kopitar or Dustin Brown because he's not a flashy player: he isn't that great at the shootout, he's not going to dangle anyone and he's going to pass up a shooting opportunity to give someone else a better opportunity. You could make the argument that he's the last Soviet player; the younger Russians in the league are all shoot-first, speedy, North American players. Frolov still plays that anachronistic team-oriented game that was a staple of those Red Army teams. It's kind of romantic, in a way.
The funny thing is that the season prior Frolov had seemingly taken a step toward becoming more of a goal scorer. That season was the best he's had so far, as he led the team with 35 goals while playing alongside Derek Armstrong and Mike Cammalleri. He did not have regular partners this season and had to create every opportunity for his line. Frolov responded by passing more, taking it upon himself to draw defenders to him with his puck possession ability and then passing it off to one of his bumbling linemates. If Frolov had better linemates last season, I think we would all be talking a bit more about him.
Frolov also never really had a chance to get into a rhythm last season, first sustaining a hamstring injury in one leg while playing in Europe and then missing 11 games with a hamstring injury in the other leg in December. He mostly played with Ladislav Nagy before his injury and Mike Cammalleri when he got back and still managed to put up 67 points, a testament to his ability. The thing with hamstring injuries is that they don't necessarily put you out of commission but they last a long time. Frolov basically played all last season while not being at full effectiveness. Rich Hammond notes that Frolov has been living in the gym this off-season, and I imagine he's strengthening those legs to prevent a similar thing from happening this season. That's good news.
He kinda looks like Will Leitch, doesn't he?
Next Season: Alex Frolov will most likely be playing most of the season with Jarrett Stoll. Stoll has an excellent shot but by all accounts does not use it very often. The two of them will play off one another and hopefully Frolov will be able to balance more between 2 seasons ago (where he was a goal scorer) and last season (where he was a set-up man). There's no telling what kind of player Stoll will be: will he be the center Frolov has been missing since the first half of 2005-06 or will he be Derek Armstrong 2.0? Stoll kind of reminds me of Craig Conroy and Frolov did play well with him, so I'm cautiously optimistic. The other wing spot is the open question heading into training camp, with the consensus being that either Ted Purcell will win the spot or Brad Richardson will begin the season there. Most likely it'll be Richardson at the beginning with Purcell earning it as the season goes on.
One problem the Kings had last season was their inability to get Frolov enough playing time. He averaged about 18 and a half minutes a game, two minutes less than Kopitar and Brown. Now, this could have been done because Frolov was battling his hamstrings, but I think it was because of a lack of imagination on Crawford's spot. Frolov is a better power player than Kopitar because he is much, much better at moving in tight spaces, yet Frolov was stuck on the 2nd unit because Kopitar was a "1st line player." I understand that Frolov and Kopitar probably can't play on the power play together (because it'd be a never ending display of passes and feints), but I think the Kings would improve their power play if they switched the two. The Kings should also put Frolov back on the penalty kill (because he's awesome at it) and give Kopitar more even strength time. Voila, you've just given your two best players over 20 minutes a game in a way that's similar to the way Zetterberg and Datsyuk are used.
One interesting thing to watch is to see how Frolov will respond to being a leader on the team. He's the longest-tenured King now with the departure of Lubo and is the best player over 25. I'm pretty sure he speaks English fine now and he's gone through the development process that many of the younger players are just now beginning. I think the Kings should give him an "A" next season and see how he does.
The Kings and their fans take Frolov for granted. There is a perception that Kopitar is the best player on the team and he needs to be taken care of, while Frolov gets to skate with whatever random schlub that happens to find his way into the locker room. I personally think the Kings should have Frolov and Brown skate together but that's never going to happen because Kopitar and Brown already work so well. Still, the Kings could help Frolov out by giving him someone like Patrick O'Sullivan (who's basically Mike Cammalleri anyway) and give him a chance to show his full ability. A 2nd line of Frolov-Stoll-O'Sullivan is pretty kickass.
We're going to begin the whole "will he or won't he sign" thing with Frolov pretty soon. He has an awesome deal worth $2.9 million dollars a year that ends in 2010. The Kings will have Johnson and Kopitar locked up by then and they should have an idea of where Frolov will fit in. Frolov is probably my favorite player on the Kings now and he's the one I most want to be there when the Kings exit the wilderness, but I fear he may be lured away by a more secure future with another team. There's nothing I can do about that this season, though, so I'll just watch the Kings and marvel at Frolov's game. He probably won't have a huge breakout year this season, but he will just keep getting better like he's done every year of his career. As someone who's watched him since he was a turnover-happy 3rd liner, I couldn't be more excited.
(You may be wondering why, after licking Frolov's balls for 1,000 words, I gave him a B. I gave him that grade because he missed a few games and wasn't clearly the Kings' best player like he should be. There's still potential for him and I don't think he's tapped it yet. When he does, he'll get an A.)
-Alex Frolov was screwed over once again, losing out on the nomination for the Lady Byng to the villainous Pavel Datsyuk, the perverse Martin St. Louis, and the flagitious Jason Pominville.* I already called bullshit on this so I won't repeat myself, but I'd like to say that I'm curious how people vote for the Lady Byng. Do they go to the stats sheet, see who averaged a point a game and then look for guys without high penalty totals? Or do they talk to the players on their beat and try to find out who the nice guys in the league are? I can't imagine someone actually agonizing over who to vote for; I'm assuming they just throw darts at a board.
*Thesaurus.com, baby.
-I'm officially cheering for the Sharks in the 2nd round. If the Stars lose, the Kings will pick #23 in the 1st round with Dallas' pick; if they win, the best the Kings can pick is 27. Go Thornton! Go Nabokov! Go Roe- okay, fuck Jeremy Roenick, but go everyone else. Oh, and sorry Matty.
-I wasn't going to post this earlier because it's just a rumor and I didn't think it was legitimate, but then I figured, "Who am I, James Bernstein?" So here you go, courtesy of Kingspipeline.com:
Thomas Hickey has been in LA getting some sort of surgery. None of the guys know for sure what the surgery is on but it does not have anything to do with the concussions at seasons end. Three of the guys I talk with all believe it is some sort of foot or ankle injury. This would explain why it took so long for Hickey to get back on the ice after he was cleared from his concussion.
If this is true, good thing he's getting taken care of it now. Hickey's one of my guys to watch at training camp; I think he could potentially jump over the plethora of 23 year-old defensemen the Kings have to grab maybe a 5 or 6 spot next year. Either that or he's going to be a complete bust and we'll all curse Dean Lombardi's name for not taking Jakub Voracek, Karl Alzner or Sam Gagner. Either way.
-ESPN.com rated teams in terms of fan happiness in a completely scientific and in no way arbitrary way and the Ducks finished 1st. That makes sense: from my experience, retarded people are usually very happy all the time. The Kings finished 29th, proving that we can't finish dead last in anything.
"To the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability."
These simple words detail the requirements and the essence of the Lady Byng Trophy. Donated by Lady Byng (the original Puck Bunny) in 1925, the award long stood out as the pre-eminent prize in the world of hockey. Sadly, inexcusably, the award has fallen upon hard times as of late; instead of going to true heroes of the most honorable sport in the land, the award has instead gone to fearmongers and rabble rousers. It is not too late, however. We can return this illustrious award to its former glory. How? By awarding it to a man of great courage and conviction. A gentleman who has always played the game fairly and without malice. A man who is without question the greatest person who ever lived. A man named Alex Frolov.
Who is the man standing in the way of Alex Frolov's trophy? Pavol Datsyuk. (Boo! Hiss!) Please people, try to remain civil. Datsyuk has won the award the past 2 years, defiling this most honorable of awards with his foul stench. Oh yes, he seems decent enough, but look under the surface and you'll see he is the most unsportsmanlike of fellows.
They say Datsyuk is a gentleman, but do fellow NHLers and their fans like playing against them? How often have you heard someone say, "Man, I love playing the Detroit Red Wings!" Not very often, I'd bet. On the other hand, I hear people express how much they love playing the Kings all the time. I even heard one Montreal fan exclaim, "I wish we could play the Kings 82 times a season!" I assume this is because of their sportsmanship, led by the one and only Alex Frolov.
They say Datsyuk is a gentleman, but who leads the league in takeaways? That's right, Pavol Datsyuk. How gentlemanly is that? A true gentleman is someone like Alex Frolov, a man whose team always gives the other side a chance to score. That is how a true gentleman plays the game.
They say Datsyuk is a gentleman, but who is a known Russian? That's right, Datsyuk. "But wait," you might say, "isn't Frolov Russian as well?" Yes, but he's the good kind of Russian. You see, there are 2 kinds of Russians in this world:
1) The good kind of Russian, like Nikolai Gogol or Yakov Smirnov or the cooky scientist from The Saint
and
2) The bad kind of Russian, like Stalin or Ivan Drago or the evil military guy from The Saint
Do you people see the potential danger here? One minute, we're giving awards like the Lady Byng to people like Pavol Datsyuk; the next, we're eating Borscht and saluting our new Soviet overlords. Think it can't happen? That's what they always say right before it does.
They say Datsyuk is a gentleman, but his head is shaped like candy corn:
Also acceptable: Praying Mantis.
Compare that to Alex Frolov:
-Averaging a point a game
-Solid defensively (44 takeaways!)
-20 PIM on the season
-Never has a bad word to say about anyone (or anything) -Gorgeous
NHL Writer's Association, you have a choice: you can stick with the status quo and yet again select Pavol Datsyuk, despite his obvious flaws and his oddly-shaped head. Or, you can do something unprecedented in the history of the NHL and give it to the person who best embodies the award like no other. Vote for liberty. Vote for hope. Vote for Alexander Frolov.
(But seriously, why the fuck not? He's more deserving than some cockfuck like Brad Richards.)
Early in the first period last night, Derek Armstrong went down with a knee injury. As the collective gasps went up from the Kings bench (not because of Armstrong; someone had spilled a water bottle), Marc Crawford began to despair. Here's an exclusive look at what happened next:
Marc Crawford: Curses! We can't win without Derek Armstrong! Go ahead and pack it up boys, this game's over.
Ted Purcell:(whispering) Hey, Kopy, who the hell is this Armtough guy?
Anze Kopitar: He's the shitty older guy on the team.
Ted Purcell:(confused) You're going to have to be more specific.
Patrick O'Sullivan: Umm, coach, I can play center if you want. I mean, I did play it in Junior and a little bit in the AHL, and a little bit earlier this ye-
Marc Crawford: No, no, no! We can't have you playing center, Peyton! Just let me think...
(silence)
Marc Crawford: Shut up! I got it. Maybe if we put Brian Willsie with Kopitar and Brown, and then- you!
Erik Ersberg: Da?
Marc Crawford: You're my new 2nd line center.
Erik Ersberg: Var det väl eller illa skrivet!
Marc Crawford: Yes, that's it! I put the swede with Frolov, Dave Lewis with Kopitar, Handzus with the popcorn guy, Phil Anschultz with... (unintelligible)
Patrick O'Sullivan: Cammy, Fro, you guys just want to go score 3 goals?
Mike Cammalleri: Sure, he'll probably be going for another 20 minutes.
Alex Frolov (Looking up from Anna Karenina): Yes, stick must touch puck and make red light.
Patrick O'Sullivan: Alright, let's go before Crawford notices.
So the Kings actually beat the Red Wings last night. It wasn't one of those, "Got a few lucky breaks and then shut down defensively" games either; the Kings were the ones catching the bad breaks, what with Jason Labarbera pulling his best Dan Cloutier impression last night.* The Kings entered the third down, 3-1, and I had pretty much chalked it up as another game the Kings should have won but didn't. Earl had a great line in the Ice Sheet over at the Fanhouse: "In Biblical fashion, though, David forgot to die." An even better analogy would have been, "In Biblical fashion, after David had to find his slingshot because his idiot friend Jason lost it, David kicked Goliath's ass."
*You know when you're playing in a rec league and your goalie can't make it? You ask the goalies coming off the rink but they can't play so you have to borrow the rink's stuff and that random guy on your team has to play goal? That's what Labarbera looked like last night.
This game was pretty much all about Alex Frolov. He was out there for all 4 third-period goals and I would say pretty much dominated. For one night at least, he played better than Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. I'd say he's relatively healthy (no hockey player is completely healthy this time of year) for the first time this season and we're starting to see how good he can be.
Having Frolov and Kopitar on the same line isn't really fair, is it? I love the Brown/Kopitar connection (these two should have a nickname), but Frolov and Kopitar out there at the same time is insane. Look at tonight: Handzus' line played well but they're not really a scoring line, Moulson was invisible, Boyle had a few opportunities but couldn't close, and Derek Armstrong is awful, yet we still beat the Red Wings on the strength of that one line and our power play. Hmm...
***
What's crazier, that Dion Phaneuf signed a 6-year, $39.5 million dollar contract as a 22-year old or that Calgary fans were praising him for taking a hometown discount, just like Iginla ($7 mil/yr) and Kiprusoff ($5.83 mil/yr)? They better hope Kristian Huselius and Daymond Langkow really love being a Flame, because otherwise they're pretty fucked.
***
Dustin Brown had a son and will be back for Saturday's game. He couldn't have made it back tonight? Not to be insensitive, but is a baby really that much to look at? He could have come back, played tonight, and then seen the kid when the Kings come back in a week. That way, the wife has had a little time to get back in shape (That's how long it takes, right? A week?) and the baby wouldn't be all covered in slime. But hey, what do I know, I just care about this team.
(No seriously, congratulations. I think the baby's first word should be, "Anze.")
Los Angeles Kings(8-9-1, 4th in Pacific) vs. Phoenix Coyotes (7-10, 5th in Pacific)
1:00 PST, Fox Sports Prime Ticket
Kings Record in November:2-2-1
If hockey players could be mental conditions, Alex Frolov would be manic depression. (Quick rundown: Joe Thornton is agoraphobia, while Darcy Tucker would be penis envy.)He’ll go from being the worst player on the ice (unless he’s playing with Derek Armstrong) to being the best, seemingly within days or even minutes.Kings fans were gnashing their teeth at his play early in the season (when he was overcoming a groin injury), but now they’re feverishly trying to get a write-in campaign for the All-Star game on his behalf.It’s still early in the season, but could this be the year that Frolov finally figures it out? Yes, I think so.
He'll pass it eventually...
So, what really has changed about Frolov’s game this year that makes me think that?Well, he’s creating scoring opportunities, not finishing them.He has 4 goals and 15 assists on the season, a ratio way out of whack with his almost 1:1 ratio last year.I don’t have a magical answer to solve this little puzzle, but if I had to guess I’d say this was because he’s not playing on a line with Mike Cammalleri anymore.Frolov has to do a lot of the playmaking this year for his line (which has included Derek Armstrong, Ladislav Nagy, Kyle Calder, Matt Moulson, Brian Willsie, Michal Handzus, and Patrick O’Sullivan), so that means that he’s probably not going to be in the position to score as many goals. Instead, he's carrying the puck in and dishing it off.
I'd say this speaks well of Frolov's chances to keep his point production up. I don't have any concrete evidence of this, but I think it's fair to say that guys who are primarily goal scorers are more inconsistent than guys who get assists. Why? I assume it's because goals are a lot harder to create on your own, while you get another guy to work with (ha!) when you dish the puck off. This made more sense in my head, but you get what I'm saying.
I’ve been rooting for Frolov since his first year back in 2002.He’s a very gifted player who can completely take over a game when he’s on the ice.Even when Cammy passed him up in terms of production last year, I still would have picked Frolov if I could only keep one.It’s nice seeing Frolov up at the top of the King’s stat totals; the key is seeing if he can stay there.
***
That dude in the background is totally laughing at his shirt.
The Coyotes picked up Ilya Bryzgalov today; no word on if his helmet will be covered in famous coyotes or not. ("I like this coyote, is wily.") He would have been nice to have on the Kings, but Phoenix really needed a goalie and were higher on the waiver wire, so they snared him. I was worried that Ilya is in net tonight against the Kings, but then I remembered they were still the Coyotes. (This is going to bite me in the ass, I know it.)
Prediction: Kings win, 4-3.Goals by whoever Frolov is playing with, plus one by Kopitar.
Los Angeles Kings (3-6, 4th in Pacific) vs. Nashville Predators (2-5, 5th in Central)
10:30 PST, FSN West
The Kings have a new website called LAKingsJunkie.com.It’s full of ATTITUDE and IN YOUR FACE ACTION and RANDOM CAPITALIZATION for some reason, but it does have my favorite part of any team website: player bios.I love these things because they’re always so random and ridiculous.(How else would I know that Dog Murray from Sweden owns his own company or that Ryan Getzlaf likes wake-boarding?)I’m going to start a continuing series wherein I read the bios and then decide if I like the player more or less.First up are Mike Cammalleri and Alexander Frolov.
X-TREME!!!
Mike Cammalleri
What I like: His favorite movie is Raging Bull, his favorite athlete is Scott Thornton, and his favorite action hero is Batman. (Why would he like Scott Thornton so much? Unless... maybe Thornton IS Batman!)
What I don’t like: His favorite book is Bringing Down the House.It could be the book about how 6 MIT graduates cheated Las Vegas, but I prefer to think that Mike Cammalleri really enjoys the novelization of the movie starring Queen Latifah and Steve Martin.
Overall: I like Mike Cammalleri more.He has a more intellectual side that you wouldn’t expect and he likes Scott Thornton.Everyone should like Scott Thornton.He rides bicycles!
RADICAL!!!
Alexander Frolov
What I like: He has a dog named Quattro (after the razor?), he enjoys chess, and his favorite holiday is New Year’s.(I just like this one because I like the idea of someone asking Frolov this question and then him honestly thinking about it before giving an answer.)
What I don’t like: His favorite actor is Anthony Hopkins (he’s really good and everything, but whose favorite actor is Anthony Hopkins?), his favorite athlete is Andre Agassi (Sampras rules!), and his favorite TV show is Entourage. Plus, the picture next to his information is not him, it's Blake. I'm blaming Frolov for this.
Overall: I like Alexander Frolov less.He kind of comes across as a douche bag, don’t you think?I mean, he likes Steven Seagal, he enjoys Gwen Stefani, he watches Entourage… he’s not a hockey player, he’s the guy with the popped collar on every college campus in America!
***
The Kings play the Nashville Predators today, and I can’t think of a team that’s more universally reviled than the Predators. Seriously, the Sharks hate them, the Stars hate them, the Red Wings hate them, I hate them, Hamilton hates them, their jersey designer hates them, even their potential owners seem to hate them.Now the Phoenix Coyotes can get in on the hate after Jordin Tootoo took 9,482 steps before blindsiding rookie Daniel Winnik.Craig Weller responded by unleashing a flying clothesline at Tootoo, who then proceeded to lie on the ice until everything settled down.(I am convinced that he lied there because he didn’t want to fight.I can not be dissuaded from this opinion.)Here’s the video, just in case you haven’t seen it:
There are a lot of opinions on the incident (Kelly Hrudey went nuts on TV and tried to make Tootoo walk the plank), but my favorite part of the whole thing was Tootoo’s comment after the game:
"There's always someone coming after me and there is a prime example of me not defending myself and not knowing someone was coming after me," Tootoo said. "It's unbelievable how hitting is part of the game and after a nice clean hit like that there has to be injury involved when you don't defend yourself."
Is it hard to elbow someone with tears in your eyes?
You can almost hear the sniffling, can’t you?Hmm… someone attacking someone when they were not in a position to defend themselves, where have I seen that before?Listen fuck, nobody likes you.You have no discernable skill besides a willingness to hurt people and the only reason guys like you are still in the league is because of the instigator rule.Plus, you had this and then cheated on it.If there’s one undeniable truth in this crazy little world, it’s that blonde chicks with big fake boobs are awesome. You’re lucky that all the men in the world haven’t held you down and then taken turns kicking you in your little Tootoo Train.
How dare you cheat on those boobs.
***
This is only tangentially related to the business of this blog, but since it deals with Los Angeles, I think it is okay: have you seen the ads by the city of Louisville?After realizing that they have no good qualities to attract people to their miserable little town, Louisville has decided to attack the good names of much better cities.Here’s the one attacking Los Angeles:
Louisville, are you trying to say that you are better than Los Angeles?Louisville.The one in Kentucky. With the baseball bats.Ha.Hehe.Teehee…. (Deep Breath)
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!
Prediction:Kings, 4-2.Goals by Cammy, Nagy, Blake and Frolov.
Last Season: 35 G, 36 A, 34 PIM, -8, 19:56 Avg. TOI
Word That Best Describes His Season: Frustrating.
Alex Frolov can be very frustrating if you’re a Kings fan. Sure, he’s one of our best players and a promising young talent, but he can be so quiet for long stretches at a time that you forget he’s on the team. I feel bad for him sometimes because I get the feeling that Kings fans spend too much time criticizing him for what he doesn’t do instead of focusing on what he does do well. Let’s take a look at the common criticisms of Frolov and see how they hold up:
Look, he doesn't even move his feet in practice!
He’s slow. This one has always bothered me, because it’s never seemed the least bit true. I will admit that he looks slow, but that’s only because of his skating style. He has a very economical skating motion and I think that tricks a lot of people into thinking he’s slow. Many Kings fans thought Sean Avery was fast, but that’s only because he moved his legs like a mad man; when Frolov and Avery played on the same line, it was obvious that Frolov was faster. One of my favorite Frolov moments from last year was this one:
Did you notice the defenseman he beat to the net? Maybe that’s the moment when Niedermayer decided to hang it up.
He’s inconsistent. This one is probably the complaint that holds the most water. Last season, Alex tallied 43 points in the first 41 games; in the last 41, he scored only 28. One cause might have been the fact that Frolov played in all 82 games last season. (It’s sad, but this is the only time I can remember where he didn’t get the flu. He’s like a baby, or an old person.) I actually think that might have hurt him a little bit. He seems like a guy who might need to be rested occasionally in order to keep him fresh (like J.D. Drew). They do this all the time with goaltenders and I’m not sure why they don’t do it with skaters.
He doesn’t shoot enough. I hear this all the time. Frolov does have a good shot, but he seems to prefer to hold the puck in the corner for long stretches of time and then make a wrap-around attempt that never works. I hate this play too; honestly, it annoys the fuck out of me. Still, though, Frolov scored 35 goals last year and had the 11th best shot percentage in the NHL. I think the reason his shot percentage is so good is a result of his selectiveness. While I do think Frolov should shoot more (he probably should play more in the center of the ice in general), I’d much rather take a guy like Frolov over a guy who constantly takes off-wing shots from behind the face-off circle. (Brownie points if you know who I’m talking about. Hint: his name is Sean Avery. I think he's the anti-Frolov.)
Sean Avery, the A-Fro.
He hasn’t progressed fast enough. Frolov entered the NHL in 2002 when he was 20 years old. He’s played in 4 NHL seasons and has increased his point total every season. I think one problem many people have is that they expect players to explode overnight, like Kopitar or Crosby. A much more typical story is one like Lubomir Visnosvky’s, where they struggle to adjust and then eventually find what works for them. Visnovsky took 4 seasons before he finally broke through; if Frolov follows this pattern, he should make a big leap this season.
Frolov may never what Kings’ fans ask of him, but I think what they’re asking is a little unrealistic. Maybe we should be focusing on what does do well instead of what he doesn’t. He’s under contract for the next 3 seasons at a very cap-friendly rate ($3 mil this year, $3.5 the next and $4 in two years) and he will again be one of our best forwards this season. He may never be the player we want him to be, but the player he is can be pretty damn good.
(This is neither here nor there, but Frolov apparently has a Myspace page. Under “Heroes,” it says, “My wife. Just Kidding.” I don’t know why, but it made me laugh.)
I have an unhealthy obsession with finding slights against the Kings and then railing against them. One such slight? The exclusion of Alexander Frolov in last year’s All-Star Game. Frolov was one of the better players in the Western Conference leading up to the All-Star break, tallying 45 points in 46 games. That put him 5th in the Western Conference in points and first among left wingers, yet he was passed over by Jonathan Cheechoo (who got in thanks to the powerful San Jose lobby), Ryan Smyth, Rick Nash, and handsome devil Henrik Zetterberg. It is my belief that Frolov deserved to be in the All-Star game over at least one (if not all) of these players.
Frolov: 21 G, 24 A, 45 P in 46 games (.98 point/game)
Cheechoo: 16 G, 18 A, 34 P in 42 games (.81 p/g)
Smyth: 23 G, 13 A, 36 P in 38 games (.95 p/g)
Nash: 13 G, 17 A, 30 P in 41 games (.73 p/g)
Zetterberg: 19 G, 21 A, 40 P in 49 games (.81 p/g)
A rudimentary analysis of the statistics at the All-Star break makes it obvious (at least to me) that Frolov deserved to be in the All-Star game. Ryan Smyth is the only player that came even close to matching Frolov’s production. At first I figured that they had to get a player on every team in the All-Star game, but then I was reminded that they did away with that rule about 4 years ago. Nash’s inclusion was particularly egregious. I mean, sure, he led the league in goals a couple of years ago, but that has nothing to do with this season. If I had been writing for this site when this happened, the whole thing might have caught on fire.
All-Star Game? More like All-Star shame! Wait, dammit...
Some might argue that maybe the NHL didn’t include Frolov because the Kings already had Visnovsky going to the All-Star game and it wouldn’t make sense for a team as bad as the Kings to have two players in the game. To them, I say go fuck yourself. The All-Star game is not a reward for teams that have excelled in the first half of the season; it is a place for players who have had exceptional seasons (like Frolov) to be honored.
Sorry, I got lost in your eyes for a second. What was I talking about?
I think a problem with the Kings is that because the team is bad, people just automatically assume that they don’t have any good players. This leads to Frolov being excluded from the All-Star game, and Kopitar being excluded from the Calder, and shitfucks writing about how Visnovsky doesn’t deserve top defenseman money. I think you need to watch this team to understand that the best players on the team (the three above plus Cammalleri) are all very, very good; it’s the rest of the team that ain’t that great. Of course, that would mean that the NHL and the writers would have to stay up past 11, and that’s just asking far too much. I mean, come on, it’s not like it’s their jobs or anything.
