Per reports flying all over the internet, the PIttsburgh Penguins are said to be interested in signing free agent forward Michael Frolik when the market opens on Wednesday.
Is this a good idea?
Frolik has had something of a career renaissance in Winnipeg recently, and he was good early in his career in Florida, but look at the period in the middle, on the only playoff caliber team that he played on. Just 11 goals in 128 games with Chicago. That shouldn't be the end-all, be-all, but it certainly leaves a bad taste in my mouth as an example of a time where Frolik was on a good team, couldn't find a niche and got shuffled out of an important role.
But, then again, his advanced stats /60 make him look like a stud
That said, remember that this is a guy who has never actually scored more than 45 points (in his rookie season, no less) and although he is a 20 goal scorer, he hasn't hit that plateau in 5 seasons.
The P/60 looks great, but the actual production hasn't been "break the bank" type money that Frolik's bound to get in unrestricted free agency as one of the few skilled players in his 20's.
Here is his current season compared to Dupuis when he joined the Penguins - almost same age, too: pic.twitter.com/3IrRMnZVr7
— m g (@kikkerlaika) June 29, 2015
That's nice that Frolik compares favorably to Pascal Dupuis at the same age, but the idea was to add more skill to the Penguins. Dupuis had a number of great seasons, but it was more a result of his "will", not skill. Also, playing with a pure in-his-prime Sidney Crosby almost exclusively at even-strength was a huge benefit as well.
All in all, I suppose the price will be the deciding factor. Frolik certainly looks like a much better UFA option than Matt Beleskey (who has shown all the signs of having an unrepeatble contract year flash-in-the-pan performance last season). But if Frolik's AAV is approaching $5 million and he surely will get 4-5 years of term, I don't know that it's money well-spent, because Frolik hasn't demonstrated a ton of production, especially on playoff caliber teams. Could that change in Pittsburgh? Perhaps, but it seems like a bet that could fall through. Frolik isn't the worst acquisition the Penguins could possibly make, however a lot remains to be seen if he would be a wise one.