The Los Angeles Kings think they’ve found their replacement for Alexander Frolov in the form of Alex Ponikarovsky. The former Leaf and Penguin has signed a one year deal with the Kings that will pay him $3 million.

He also received a $200,000 signing bonus.

Ponikarovsky managed 21 goals and 29 assists in 77 games last season, spending the year split between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was good for a goal and four helpers during the Penguins’ playoff run, too.

The signing does appear to be quite lucrative and it’s hard to imagine Poni being worth that kind of bank in Los Angeles. It’s clear the Kings are looking for a forward to line up strong to put pucks in the net, but Ponikarovsky just doesn’t seem to be the best fit for the money.

One also has to wonder about this signing bonus, especially on a one year deal. That the signing deal was publicized, too, seems to be part of the way the Kings are taking to Ponikarovsky. It may be worth it for them to stroke his ego a little, but I’m not too sure that this signing will make much of a difference in the long run.

Ponikarovsky, while good for a few points over the year, isn’t really a hardy player on the ice and he doesn’t seem overly sure of how to use his size to his advantage. Playing alongside Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh wasn’t enough to turn him into much of a dream player, either, so it’s hard to know what equation he fits into.

Regardless, the Kings are sure pressing to replace Frolov. Whether this is the right direction for the young hockey club remains to be seen.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 11:00 pm and is filed under NHL, NHL Notes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.