Alexander Frolov - Available Free Agent

He picked up his game as the season went on, but it makes me nervous that they made him a healthy scratch at the start of the season. This Terry Murray quote pretty much firms up a pass vote for me:

“I haven’t been happy with Fro’s game for several games,” Murray told the L.A. Kings’ Insider. “The game the other night is the straw that broke the camel’s back, in my opinion. The turnovers, the careless play… It has to be better, and you have to come out with that high level of intensity, with smart work, hard work, and you’ve got to love the game. You’ve got to love the game in order to be a player. The talent is there, but it always is the work that brings out talent. And I need more.”

When asked if he had discussed the issue with the player, Murray became even more forthright.

“There’s nothing coming back,” Murray told the Kings’ Insider. "That’s the 10th meeting along those lines, and nothing ever comes back. So, I don’t know.’’

I don’t care that he put up 51 points if he isn’t consistently playing with heart. We don’t need a diva on the team.

The main reason why I would pass on Frolov is simply the fact that the Wild desperately need to spend money on another center. It has been pretty well documented on this blog, but if you take away Mikko, we have no one at center. Frolov will carry a fairly decent price tag.
More importantly, he peaked at 71 points in the 2006-2007 campaign, but has slowly gotten worse each year after. I don’t understand how he can only score 51 points on a high-scoring L.A. team. Additionally, he only had 13 points on the powerplay. I’m sorry, but I don’t feel like the Wild need ANOTHER underachiever (that role is taken by Shep, Miettinen, Havlat, Barker, Kobasew)

And by the way, isn’t anyone else really concerned that Zidlicky is a -28 in two years with the Wild?

I’m not saying we should absolutely sign him, I just put in the option that if we REALLY can’t go any other way, then MAYBE they should sign him, but I would prefer not..

Frolov is an option if a team is willing to put up with an attitude

Actually, the biggest problem with Frolov is that it seemed like he never cared. He would have had to care to have an attitude, so that might be overstating it….

Most Kings fans will tell you the same thing. It would be fine to bring him back, but with realistic expectations. Is he a $5 million 1st liner? Hell no. Is he a $2.5 – $3 million 2nd/3rd liner? Yes.

Just be careful here…. the streaky inconsistency will drive you nuts. The Kings organization has been waiting for a decade and he still hasnt grown out of it.

I consider him a decent wing, good in the defensive zone, offensively inconsistent, who folds with pressure and in the playoffs.

Frolov plays big in small games (like another Russian mentioned earlier). Small teams see him as a star. Big Clubs see a puck control guy whose passing can be contained with a solid check.

This man has a remarkable ability to control pucks for extended periods while not producing points. He plays decent defensive and generates “wow” goals here and there.

Astute Kings fans see him as a decent defensive forward. Others continue to believe he’s a 35-40 scorer waiting to come into his own (after 8 years?). The majority prefer resigning him (within cap considerations).

Frolov’s nemesis is his mouth guard. It makes it appear that he is always smiling. Miss a breakaway or blow a scoring chance, smile! Turnover, smile, smile, smile! Makes it look like he doesn’t care…at times. And at times he might not.

LA used to be the best place for lazy hockey players. Frolov played with the best of them. Old habits die hard.