Per LA Kings head coach Todd McLellan, winger Martin Frk is trending towards playing on Friday night against the Vegas Golden Knights.
While the club may feel decimated by injuries, the LA Kings do have something promising on the horizon. Martin Frk has yet to play a game this season due to a groin pull. He has, however, been skating with the Kings for a few days now, inching closer to a return.
Following Wednesday’s practice, Frk spoke with the media about how he’s feeling and when he expects to be back to full health.
“Yeah, it’s been good,” a beaming Frk said of being back on the ice. “You know, I have to go through so many protocols with the groin and all that stuff, but now it feels good. It’s nice to be with the guys skating, and I missed them when they were on the road trip, and I had to stay , but it feels good. You know, I feel ready to go, and I’m really excited to start playing some.”
For Frk, the return to hockey after the long layoff has not been friendly.
After working hard to stay in game shape during the off-season, Frk was understandably excited for the new season to begin. Unfortunately, the 27-year-old aggravated his groin shortly after Kings’ training camp began and has been sidelined ever since.
A beneficiary of unpleasant timing, Frk was asked how bitter a pill this was to swallow.
“Yeah, it’s definitely hard,” the veteran noted. “I mean, no one wants to get hurt just because the offseason was so long, and you know, you were training for so long. So, it was tough but that’s how it goes sometimes. Now, I just have to kind of stay in shape over the course of what I was doing with my groin and all that. did a really good job with me out in the gym and then skating on my own. So, it was good. I just cannot wait to play because doing extra in the gym and not playing with the guys and watching from the press box is kind of tough.”
Martin Frk hits 109 mph. Hot damn.#GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/qFTDAhK9mf
— Josh Tessler 🇺🇦 (@JoshTessler_) January 27, 2020
It was just a little over a year ago when Martin Frk made headlines at the 2020 AHL Skills Competition in front of his home fans in Ontario. In the process, Frk also made a lot of fans duck out of the way as he recorded the hardest shot at said competition at a blistering 109.2 MPH. However, it was Frk’s time in the NHL that stood out just as noticeably.
In 17 games with the big club last season, the 27-year-old scored six goals and added two assists: numbers needed for an offensively-anemic Kings squad. Of course, while no one wants to rush him back, Frk feels confident that he can suit up as soon as he’s called upon.
He may not be the offensive savior, if you will, but Martin Frk should nonetheless provide a boost to a Kings lineup already missing Andreas Athanasiou, Blake Lizotte, Matt Roy, and Sean Walker.
Entering a crucial two-game series against Vegas this weekend, the Kings will need all the help they can get in getting back on track. Hopefully, Martin Frk can help this, but we will see if the silver-and-black can enjoy the immediate benefits of having their number 29 back in the lineup.