97.5 The Fanatic Flyers Roundup: Morgan Frost Trade Looming?
The hot streak simmered in regulation losses at home against two of the NHL’s more talented teams. However, the Philadelphia Flyers still find themselves in striking distance of an Eastern Conference playoff spot, which didn’t seem likely in the early weeks of the season.
If the Flyers stay in the hunt through the late months of the season, they might have to do so without Morgan Frost. The 25-year-old center once again finds himself in the middle of trade rumors instead of in John Tortorella’s lineup.
- Saturday 11/16 (Wells Fargo Center): Flyers 5, Buffalo Sabres 2
- Monday 11/18 (Wells Fargo Center): Colorado Avalanche 3, Flyers 2
- Wednesday 11/20 (Wells Fargo Center): Carolina Hurricanes 4, Flyers 1
Morgan Frost Trade Looming?
The Flyers missed big on Nolan Patrick with the second-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. However, it looked like they hit big with their second first-rounder when Morgan Frost shot up the prospect rankings as an offensive star in the OHL after his draft year.
Frost hasn’t produced offensively in the first quarter of each of his three full-time NHL seasons. He’s averaged less than half a point in his 245 career games.
He’s now sat four of the past five games as a healthy scratch. He’s only found the scoresheet for one goal and five assists in 16 games this season, and the timeclock is nearing zero for a talented offensive player who has never reached the ceiling that the Flyers once hoped for him.
Frost’s 39.82% share of expected goal lands him in the sixth percentile of NHL skaters with over 150 minutes of ice time. The advanced metrics also show a drastic drop in offensive opportunities he’s producing relative to his past two seasons.
Kevin Kurz of The Athletic wrote about the possibility of a trade involving Morgan Frost for the good of the player and the organization. Elliotte Friedman of SportsNet named the Chicago Blackhawks as a sensible destination.
A player who lacks defensive value and a physical presence doesn’t justify his place in the lineup without raw production. The Flyers won’t wait around much longer for consistent production over seven years after selecting him with the 27th-overall pick.
“I cannot continue to go through the same process with Morgan that I’ve done for two years. It’s not fair to him. It would be stupid to coach that way because we’ve done that. He’s going to have to take some onus on himself here when he gets an opportunity to make it stick because we certainly need help in that position.” -John Tortorella
Tortorella scratched Frost in 10 of the first 20 games in 2023-24. A midseason hot streak earned Frost some favor in the organization, but the head coach still showed you what he thought of the young center by benching him late in the final game of the regular season with a playoff berth up in the air.
The Toronto Maple Leafs could use a talented center with Auston Matthews out of the lineup. Frost’s father was the public address announcer in Toronto during the years of tight Flyers contests against Tie Domi and Mats Sundin. The storied franchise looks like another possible landing spot for an impending restricted free agent.
Flyers fans have discussed a hypothetical Morgan Frost trade for years during his rocky path of development. The rumors seem closer to materializing than ever.
The Emergence of Travis Sanheim
Injuries to Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, and Emil Andrae have forced some movement on the blue line. Travis Sanheim has taken full advantage of the opportunity.
The 6-foot-3 defenseman has scored two goals and added four assists while logging over 28 minutes of ice time his last seven games. He’s played on the top power-play unit with the three typical special teamers out of the lineup.
Tim Saunders marveled on the 97.5 The Fanatic broadcast when Sanheim stood out with a goal and an assist in an impressive performance in the 5-2 victory against the Sabres on Saturday. The Flyers play-by-play vet believes Sanheim is playing the best hockey of his eight seasons in the NHL.
Sanheim struggled to respond to challenges from Tortorella in 2022-23 during their first season together in Philadelphia. He shook off the down year and a vetoed offseason trade to develop into a player who commands minutes at the top of the lineup.
His maturity showed when he spoke after the big game against Buffalo about the growth of his relationship with Tortorella.
“I think we’re at that point in our relationship. I think, obviously, early on there was a lot in my game that I needed to figure out. Maybe I didn’t quite understand it at the time, but you know what, it was really good for me. The place that I’m in right now, I’m feeling the best that I ever have. I think he understands it and recognizes it and allows me just to go out and play.” -Travis Sanheim
John Tortorella also gave an unsolicited endorsement for Sanheim as an option on defense for Team Canada in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. The rosters will be announced December 4, and the tournament takes place February 12-20.
Tortorella will work as an assistant for Team USA under head coach Mike Sullivan. Travis Konecny will also received consideration for a spot on Team Canada.
John Tortorella Speaks On Matvei Michkov
The most polarizing head coach in the NHL makes waves constantly in Philadelphia. If you need proof, tune into 97.5 The Fanatic the next time he benches a high-profile player.
His tough, unconventional style pushed plenty of Flyers fans to the edge when he sat Matvei Michkov as a healthy scratch for two games on a recent Florida road trip.
However, criticism of Tortorella should never ignore his tendency to speak with self-awareness like he did with Paul Bissonnette and Anson Carter on the TNT national broadcast before the Hurricanes game.
The former Stanley Cup winner mentioned his preference for “spontaneous coaching” to address issues with players the moment they happen. Coaching a 19-year-old Russian calls for a different approach.
“I can’t do that with Mich because he just doesn’t understand.” -John Tortorella
Michkov isn’t fluent in English, and he admitted through translator Slava Kuznetsov that he hasn’t found a rhythm with his language tutor since coming to America.
“Once a week – we have an interpreter – and we sit down in my office, and we go over things. I want to listen to him. He has to listen to me.” -John Tortorella
Tortorella doesn’t always mesh perfectly with his players’ preferences. He does, however, recognize the need to accentuate skill sets and allow offensive creativity.
He’s overlooked defensive shortcomings of Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett to help them improve offensively by taking some risks to move the puck up ice better.
The veteran head coach intends to groom Matvei Michkov similarly and utilize his tremendous talent while also helping to develop his all-around game.
“The whole coaching staff, we are really pushing him not to worry about mistakes, about turnovers. I think we’ll go through the coaching of that as we get going with more games here. We need to see his offense. We’re just not a great offensive team, and we want him to explore himself and not be afraid to make a mistake.” -John Tortorella
Will things run smoothly between Michkov and the coaching staff without any disagreements in the early years of his NHL career? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean John Tortorella and the Flyers aren’t taking an intentional approach to his development into an NHL superstar.
Upcoming Flyers Schedule
- Saturday 11/23 vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 1pm on 97.5 The Fanatic
- Monday 11/25 @ vs. Vegas Golden Knights, 7pm on 97.5 The Fanatic
- Wednesday 11/27 @ Nashville Predators, 8pm on 93.3 WMMR
- Friday 11/29 vs. New York Rangers, 1pm on 97.5 The Fanatic
All advanced stats at 5-on-5, courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted
