LA KINGS OUTSIDER 2.0

Ponikarovsky Is Frolov 2.0: Better Defensively; Not As Good Offensively Just hours after it became official that Alexander Frolov was a New York Ranger; the Kings made their first acquisition of the off-season signing winger Alexei Ponikarovsky to a one-year deal worth $3.2 million. The 30-year old Ukrainian-born Ponikarovsky is almost a mirror-image of Frolov.  Poni, similar to Fro, is as streaky as they come.  He'll show glimpses of world-class talent only to disappear for weeks at a time.  His inconsistent play frustrated Leafs management and fans alike.  The Pittsburgh Penguins outbid a number of teams for Ponikarovsky at last season's trade deadline to lineup with Sidney Crosby only to have Poni disappear and be a healthy scratch during the playoffs. Poni isn't nearly as skilled as Frolov but Poni is a better defensive player.  Poni's 6'4 frame adds size up front and he definitely likes to hit more than Frolov.  He'll help the Kings cycle the puck ...

Is Voynov NHL-ready? While the Kings wait for the next chapter of the Ilya Kovalchuk Saga to unfold... It appears that Viatcheslav Voynov or his KHL team may be forcing the hand of Dean Lombardi and the Kings come October. Traktor's (KHL) Director said #LAK prospect Voinov and #FLA prospect Dadonov will return to KHL if either can't make NHL team this season. Voynov surprised alot of people when he made the jump directly to the AHL as an 18-year old.  He's a smooth skating defenseman who's got some offensive upside.  He's made huge strides over the past two seasons but it didn't sound like Ron Hextall was totally convinced that Voynov could make the jump to the NHL next season during his wrap-up session with Hammer. Slava improved this year, defensively, and played a much more sound defensive game. He’s got to get better at communicating with his teammates. I think the language is part of it. I was a little surprised when I met with him at the end of the year,...

Time To Welcome Back Some Old Friends I have no idea what's going on with Ilya Kovalchuk and the Kings.  So here's some other random thoughts.   Brad Richardson's arbitration is coming up next week according to Hammer.   Unless the Kings reach agreement on a contract with Brad Richardson in the next week, he will have his arbitration hearing on July 23 in Toronto. I have no idea what type of money Richardson is looking for but if it's anything over a million; let him walk. He made $600,000 last season. He recorded 11 goals and 16 assists and was one of the Kings most consistent bottom-six forwards. With that said, the Kings need to play this smart. They haven't signed Kovalchuk yet because they're worried about keeping their 'core' together. Richie was useful but he's not a core player. He's a bottom-six grinder that can occasionally chip in offensively. Does he deserve anything more than the 2-year, $1.8 million contract Scott Parse got...

Thanks For The Memories Fro   As we reach Day 14 of the Ilya Kovalchuk saga; I began to put together a list of possible alternatives in case Kovy decides to go elsewhere.  One of those options was obviously bringing back Alexander Frolov.  According to Dmitry Chesnokov, a regular contributor on Yahoo's PuckDaddy blog, Frolov doesn't have much interest in returning to Los Angeles. Frolov's agent: "We have a offers from a few NHL teams; 99% certainty Frolov won't stay in LA; Frolov will make a decision w/in 10 days."   Can't blame him really.  His asking price will have to come down for any team to sign him but the Kings pretty much walked him out the door.  Good luck to Fro wherever he goes.  I think the Kings are going to miss him alot more than they realize.  His puck-possession in the corners and constant wrap-around attempts frustrated fans but who else on the current team can do that?

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