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 Posted - 09/11/2006 : 08:04:27
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By Darryl Dobbs
Alexander Frolov had 31 points in 24 games to start the last campaign for the Los Angeles Kings, and this season he will be expected to take on a much bigger role. With Pavol Demitra traded, Mark Parrish signed elsewhere, and Luc Robitaille retired, the 24-year-old Frolov will be looked upon as a veteran by group of young forwards.
Demitra, the Kings most skilled player when he was there, leaves a big hole in the offense that other forwards will step up and fill this year. There is no question that Frolov will line up on the left side on the top line. To start, he will play with Craig Conroy and Mike Cammalleri. Technically a sophomore, Cammalleri will add to his 26-goal campaign of last year now that he’s the No.1 right winger on the Los Angeles totem pole. Dustin Brown will move up from the third line to the second and take a strong run at 50 points.
Two new additions to the lineup will be rookies Anze Kopitar, the Kings’ 11th overall pick in 2005, and Patrick O’Sullivan, who was acquired from Minnesota as part of the package for Demitra. Los Angeles feels that Kopitar is ready to step into the NHL and contribute right away, although it is questionable whether he is ready for the second-line role that the team has reserved for him. O’Sullivan is coming off a banner season in the AHL in which he was given the rookie of the year award. This on the heels of a banner season in the CHL in which he was given…the rookie of the year award. The Kings are fairly empty on the left side beyond Frolov, and O’Sullivan will line up there to start the year and look to keep his streak of rookie trophies going.
This young team will have a run-and-gun offense, but that will be balanced by the loss of Demitra – so their offense will be similar to that of a year ago. Their defense will be stabilized a little with the addition of their former captain Rob Blake. A healthy Dan Cloutier between the pipes could make this team really make a statement. A seventh- or eighth-place finish in the conference would not surprise me.
Meanwhile…
The Boston Globe is reporting that Alexei Zhamnov will likely retire soon, thus ending years of my ‘injury’ jokes. I will have to find a new poster boy for those occasions when I want to compare a player’s frequent injuries to someone…
The following players look like they may miss training camp (which significantly increases the risk of injury come the regular season): Simon Gagne, Philadelphia; Brian Gionta, New Jersey; Tuomo Ruutu (as if he needs another means to get injured…hmmm, may have found Zhamnov’s replacement after all), Chicago; Dan Fritsche and Nikolai Zherdev, Columbus; Dustin Brown, Los Angeles; Rick DiPietro, N.Y. Islanders; Matt Stajan, Toronto; Jiri Hudler, Detroit;
For more fantasy hockey tips, visit www.dobberhockey.com - see the results of Darryl Dobbs in his ‘Fantasy Experts’ League, which includes fantasy columnists from TSN, Yahoo!, CBS Sportsline, and more!
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