A first look at…Frolov

By the narrowest of margins — 33 votes, as of this typing — you picked Alexander Frolov to be the Kings’ first-line left wing, completing a first line of Frolov, Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams.

The trouble with analyzing Frolov is, what more can be said? After the departures of Patrick O’Sullivan and Jason LaBarbera, Frolov probably became the player who inspires the most debate among Kings fans.

Frolov has been a 30-goal scorer in two of the past three seasons, although his point totals have decreased from 71 to 67 to 59. Roughly half of fans look at those numbers and scream for a contract extension. The other half will sigh and wonder if Frolov will ever reach his full potential.

It’s a safe bet that Frolov’s goal total will remain consistent, although the assist total needs to be higher for a first-line winger. The main drama for Frolov figures to be off the ice, since he’s due to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. If the Kings don’t lock up Frolov before the start of the season, his name will be mentioned roughly once every 34 minutes in trade rumors, which could turn into quite a distraction.

What might be a more relevant question here is, what do you make of this potential first line? Given the options, it seems fairly realistic, and would likely also create a realistic second line of Ryan Smyth, Jarret Stoll and Dustin Brown. But is Frolov-Kopitar-Williams the correct fit for the Kings, in terms of their styles meshing together well?

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