Morgan Frost Should Not Be Traded This Season
His name has been included on multiple trade lists, but it doesn't belong there.
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports - Morgan Frost Should Not Be Traded This SeasonMorgan Frost almost wasn't a Philadelphia Flyer this season.
Last summer, it was looking promising that Frost would be packing his bags and heading to the Ottawa Senators, likely in exchange for fellow young center Shane Pinto. Then, Pinto was suspended for 41 games for violating league gambling rules, and, naturally, the deal was off. The Flyers scrambled to sign Frost to a new contract, and fans wondered if maybe this season would be the one where Frost could really show people what he was made of.
It didn't get off to the greatest start. His offensive production in the first half of the season wasn't significantly better than any season before this one. He had flashes of brilliance, but no sustained runs of form that would make him indispensable to this unexpectedly well-performing Flyers team. The writing looked to be on the wall when head coach John Tortorella healthy scratched him a whopping 11 times. What player goes through that and stays in the team to tell the tale?
We know what happened after that. Frost—who has generally been described as a chill, soft-spoken guy that keeps to himself—directly confronted Tortorella in a one-on-one conversation, voicing how he didn't agree that he deserved to be healthy scratched.
"For me, I was thrilled that he came in and wanted to talk, and gave me some of his thoughts, and not agreeing," Tortorella said of the meeting. "That's a huge step for me with Frosty, is him coming in and saying, 'This is what I think.' It's so important that players do that. It creates a little path for him and I as we try to go through this."
Since then, Frost has looked like a player reborn. At the All-Star Break, he's sitting on 11 points in 12 games, has been a key creator on the Flyers' offense, has exhibited extremely good chemistry with linemates Joel Farabee and Cam Atkinson, and has combined very impressively with newcomer Jamie Drysdale on the Flyers' power play (Frost himself has five power play points, the most on the entire team). His ice time has gone up, proving that while he might not have been Frost's biggest fan before, Tortorella knows to give credit where it's due.
But what does this mean for Frost's long-term future with the Flyers? Despite this improved performance, there's still a lingering anxiety that this might just be another second-half hot streak that won't last. It happened last season, after all. His name is still appearing on trade lists as the deadline approaches. The same doubts surrounding his long-term place in the team have been present since his professional debut in 2019. The question persists: should they trade him?
The answer is no.
For starters, the Flyers don't have a ton of viable options at center right now. Sean Couturier is still a top center, but at 31, he's not exactly a long-term fit anymore. Cutter Gauthier looked to be the answer before he ghosted the Flyers front office, and had them opt for a talented young defenseman in Jamie Drysdale. Noah Cates had tons of potential after transitioning from winger to center in his rookie season, but a slow start to the 2023-24 season (followed by a broken foot that sidelined him for two months) has made him questionable. If they were to get rid of Frost, it leaves them in quite a precarious situation regarding that position.
Secondly, Frost is only 24 years old (turning 25 in May). He's one of the more experienced young players in this team, something extremely valuable in an organization that's focusing their rebuild on creating a team that can have sustained success in the near future. He brings a unique perseverance and work ethic to the team that up-and-coming prospects can learn from. His quieter and more laidback personality nicely balances the more outgoing personalities on the team like close friend Joel Farabee. Of course, being a locker room guy isn't a guaranteed way to save him from being traded (see: Kevin Hayes), but it is an important part of his value to the Flyers.
It remains to be seen what moves the Flyers front office will make, but whatever business is done, as long as he can keep his current playing quality up, Frost should not be a player on the chopping block.