The Case for Martin Frk

Now that NHL Seattle has officially been named the Seattle Kraken, the league has shifted to the looming expansion draft. Personally, I have noticed that Kings forward Martin Frk is left out of many peoples’ potential protected players lists. However, I would like to make the case for why Martin Frk should be included as a protected player for the Kings.

There are many reasons to protect Frk but here I would like to detail a few.

Reason #1: This is the only reason that does not really have anything to do with Frk himself: the vast majority of the Kings’ young players are automatically protected. Per the rules of the expansion draft, any first and second year pro players and any unsigned draft choices are automatically exempt from the draft. For the Kings, this means that pretty much any forward that is deemed as a “part of the future” is automatically safe. It is likely that the Kings will expose some older members of the team with hefty contracts (i.e. Jeff Carter) but Frk is neither old nor does he carry an expensive price tag. As a result of this, protecting Frk is not taking a spot away from a young player with immense promise or a veteran whose role is pertinent to the future of the team. Instead, the Kings may chose to expose depth pieces that do not really bring anything special to the team.

Reason #2: Frk has leadership potential. While he will likely remain a depth player for the Kings, he brings physicality, a scoring touch, and playing experience at all levels. He is commended for his work ethic by his teammates and coaches alike. He is one of those players who leads by example. This will definitely prove useful to a team that is getting increasingly younger as each season passes: he will be a strong mentor to players who are coming up from the AHL because he has experienced the transition himself. As the last members of the Kings’ core from the Cup years either leave or retire, a player like Frk could potentially help transition the team into its new leadership core that consists of the current Kings prospect pool.

Reason #3: His shot. It is simply impossible to evaluate Frk in any situation without mentioning his shot. Its record-breaking speed of 109.2 MPH is simply insane. Unfortunately, his shot is even hard enough to injure players. However, this shot is going to prove the most useful in the playoffs: imagine trying to block that shot for an entire seven game series.

Throughout a playoff series, those unfortunate enough to consistently block his shots will be exhausted and bruised by the end of it. I would not want to be a defenseman or goaltender on that poor team. Nevertheless, this will give the Kings, and specifically Frk, a huge advantage in long series.

Frk’s shot will not only prove useful in the playoffs. In a limited showing with the Kings so far, Frk has produced offensively in both 5-on-5 and Power Play situations. In the future, I envision him playing on the third or fourth line in 5-on-5 play and on the first Power Play unit. However, his shot and subsequent offensive capability makes him a versatile player that can play and produce in almost any offensive situation.

In conclusion, having a versatile player like this will prove to be quite useful in a transitioning team: there will be many players coming up from and going down to the Kings AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. A player like Frk who can play in virtually any situation can be used in order to fill gaps left open when there are player transactions with the Reign. Honestly, in my opinion, there is no clear reason not to protect and keep Frk on the Kings as their stacked prospect pool makes the transition to the professional ranks.