Frolov's turnaround
It's funny how interviews can go sometimes. I started off today asking Terry Murray about Alexander Frolov, because Frolov hadn't been on the ice the last two days -- he's apparently fine, just needed a couple ``maintenance'' days -- and that led to a question about Frolov's minutes. Ultimately, as you'll see below, it led to Murray talking about a meeting he had with Frolov after the Dec. 2 game against Phoenix. This adds some context to Frolov's recent strong play...
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Question: Frolov's minute totals have been high over the last few weeks. I'm guessing that's an indication of what you think of his play?
MURRAY: ``Yeah, he's been playing well. I like the way he's been playing for the last two to three weeks. Important minutes for an important player on our hockey club, scoring wise but also on the special teams side of it. He's really starting to show, to me, that he's capable of giving more. He is I guess what I would call digging in and doing the right stuff and battling hard, and as a result of it, good things are happening. Big plays are taking place at key times in the game for him. It's good to see him playing the way he is. He's really showing some emotional play.''
Question: That's sort of always been the question with him. I know you hadn't coached him before, but the question with him here has always been whether or not he's completely `buying in,' for lack of a better term. You're seeing that now?
MURRAY: ``Sure. I think, at the start, in terms of what you're saying, I look at it and see the inconsistencies and I have a meeting with him and tell him I need more. But as of late, it's where it's at. We're going through the process of trying to change a lot of things here, and the way Fro has been playing here shows that he believes in the team and he wants to buy in and do everything so that this team can win. Consistency has been a part of it, so that's good to see. If you remember back to the game at Phoenix (on Dec. 2), he was on the ice for a goal against and it just seemed like he was distant. He wasn't really focused on that particular game and that situation. I had a long meeting with him and we talked about a few things. He's coming to play every night, and every game has been real good.''
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J.P. Hoornstra writes about NHL and IHL hockey for the Los Angeles Newspaper Group. He welcomes any and all dialogue on the finer points of hockey.
E-mail J.P. at jp.hoornstra@inlandnewspapers.com.
Jill Painter joined the Daily News in 2000 and during the last eight years she's covered the Dodgers, Cal State Northridge, UCLA, Kings, golf and everything in between. Even though she's from Colorado, she still freezes in the Staples Center press box but always manages to thaw her fingers in time to make deadline. E-mail Jill at jill.painter@dailynews
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Vincent Bonsignore is a sports columnist for the Los Angeles Daily News. E-mail Vinny at vincent.bonsignore
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well...
murray speaks about the mystery that's an enigma told in a riddle...fro...
whatever it is/was...maybe being a father of two kids...maybe the sit down w/murray...maybe the fear of not being a king...frolov has played with so much emotion that it's hard not to notice him/it on the ice...
anxious to hear dean's response to yr questions about him...and for all the other ?'s you asked as well...
great to see t.m. acknowledge fro's strong play...
I agree with TM.
Clearly, Frolov has been a bright spot on this season.
Am a bit puzzled that he and his linemates (kopi & Pos) haven't been tearing it up.
I thought those three would put up big offensive numbers.
Can somebody enlighten me as to why.
I like Fro alot, but there are times when he trys to do to much along the boards,especialy on the pp.In the process he slows are pp down.Fro will bring two defense men at him,and the point will be open,but he will not pass the puck. And many times he will end up with a turnover.I think with his hands and size he should play more in front of the net.See all tonite.Lets Go Kings!
And one more, why does TM break that line up on the power play.
I would think that POS-Kopi-Fro would do well on the pp. Instead, he replaces Frolov with Calder. And that doesn't make the power play threatening at all.
Anthony - Calder in for Fro on the PP b/c they need someone to sit in front of the net to create screens and provide some sort of distraction in front of the goalie. If you noticed, Zeus has been doing a great job of that when he's on the PP.
anthony...
completely agree...
calder doesn't need to be a grinder there and the kings don't need that type of pp design/format...
fro does plenty along the boards as we all know...however, i do like fro playing the point of late...
- of players in the nhl who have over 100 shots, fro is #4 in shooting percentage...
brown's game tying goal vs. edm., fro shot it at the point/right circle...i think we should see that more often...and w/stoll, too..he's got a rocket...
I'm assuming he throws Calder in that line up to post up in front of the net. That hasn't been happening much lately though.
Frolov, Kopitar, O'Sullivan...of those three, who is planting their ass in front of the goaltender and screaning him?
Answer: None of them.
That is why Calder replaces Frolov on that PP line, meanwhile Frolov is on the 2nd PP unti with Handzus and Brown.
In all honesty, no, it's not the most ideal combinations that Murray could have (in my opinion), but with the resources he has, it probably is the best he has available to him. O'Sullivan, Kopitar and Frolov are all perimeter players. Frolov may have the ability to go to the net (and he does), but screening th goaltender, figting for the puck in traffic areas in front of the net...that is not his game. Brown, Calder, Handzus are much more suited for that type of game.
Kopi and Sully have been "tearing it up" offensively since Fro was put on their line. Check the stats.
mrbrett7...
i think there are plenty of times when fro curls up in one of the corners...passes to the point...and heads to the front of the net...i realize calds can do an effective job as well in that position, but he hasn't translated it to goals on the pp like fro has...
also, kopi/sully/fro give the kings a skill option down low w/a crasher or point option...it can be very effective...look at what edm did to us when we failed to close the lanes, with either a body or stick...the kings could have the same effect on that unit because of their skill level...it gives the pk a diff. look...
Now we need to lock up fro .. i'm thinking 4 yrs, 14 mil -- thoughts?
TB,
The line has done better.
I did check the stats.
But far from tearing it up.
With 3 premier players like Kopi-Fro-POS, that line should be scoring at least 2-3 goals a game.
Wouldn't you think.
he is going to complete a 5 yr/$15mil. deal next season...
so the 4yr/$14mil. would be an insult to fro and he would not re-sign if that was the deal proposed...
4 years at $19 to $22mil...sounds fair...he will probably ask for something in the four year realm for about $5.5 to $6mil a year...and i don't know if dean will go that high...i think he will be worth it...well worth it...
6 years - $32 Mil
Any way I look at this team. It's clear that we are three to four players away from becoming an upper echelon team in this league.
A. A natural power forward.
B. A legitimate 2nd line center. Tavers would do wonders for this team. And DL knows it.
Roger
Fro is great....but he's gotta make those shoot-out goals...does anyone know how many we've lost this yr. Certainly we would be in a playoff spot had we won a few more....grrrrrr
Sounds like Variable might be Fro's agent or something? How do you know what Fro will complete next season?
Roger, the Kings are 3-6 in shootouts so far this season. Not too good.
Frolov is 1-5 this season but 8-19 lifetime in shootouts. If you can make 50% overall that's good, so he's really not that far off that mark. He just seems snake bit this season. Consider Kovalchuk is only 7-26 lifetime, so 8-19 doesn't seem that bad in comparison!
You can go here to see tons of interesting shootout stats for the league:
http://www.nhl.com/stats/shootout_report.pdf
Anthony...It would be nice, but those are Datsyuk-Hossa-Holmstrom figures and they aren't quite there yet. Kopi Sully and Fro (with the exception of the last 2 games) have been playing at a pace of about a point per game each. This, according to most scouts is a very coveted statistic to have in your lineup. The "point per game" players are very very hard to find. And to be perfectly honest, Kopi isn't premier yet. Neither is Sully. Premeire status is for the guys who can post 90-100 points in a season. Until they register those kinds of totals, I wouldn't go that far. They are very promising, but they have yet to crack that level of superstar status. Just being honest...Its not about dissing them, its that they are still peached fuzzed in comparison to the elite in the league. But...I do believe they have all the makings of being 100 point players. Heck, it wouldn't be the first time it took several seasons for a superstar to spread his wings. Examples: Jeff Carter and Phil Kessel.
Anthony...one more thing. I didn't answer your question directly, 2-3 goals per game from the same line is very tough mostly because of the opposition's focus on the team's top players. A well built shut down line can stifle pretty much anyone in the NHL game today. Especially with the focus on matching the D pairings up. So 2-3 goals per game from the same line would be nice, but those are pretty phenominal stats when you add it up. Do the math: 82 games 2 goals per game = 164 goals split evenly 3 ways, thats 54-55 goals per player on that line. Make sense? The 80's are over. Those figures will not happen again.
p.s. Thats why guys like Handzus count so much. He's worth every penny.
Variable.
HUGE difference between going to the net on the PP and planting your ass in front of the goaltender and screaning him. Two completely different aspects of the game.
Frolov is an absolute stud in the corners, and there isn't anyone else on this roster (currently) who can do what he does there. But Frolov screening the goaltender? I'm not so sure I have ever seen him do it (on purpose). Calder on the other hand, always does. Whether he is effective or not is another story, it's also up to the point men to get the shots through, and on net.