Philadelphia Flyers NHL Trade Deadline Candidates: Morgan Frost
97.5 The Fanatic will examine Philadelphia Flyers who could potentially be on the move before the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. Danny Briere described their organizational outlook in maintaining the strategy of the rebuild.
“We know where we are. We’re trying to get out of that rut where we make the playoffs one year (then) we miss (the next). You look at the standings. It’s very, very tight. We know we have a long ways to go, and we’re trying to build a team that’s going to be contenders for years to come, not just for one year… It’s a long season. It feels like it’s flashing by us, but the plan hasn’t changed.” –Danny Briere
The Flyers will not fit the traditional definition of sellers at the NHL Trade Deadline, however. Closer analysis can determine which moves do and don’t make sense for the Flyers in 2023-24 and down the road.
- Sean Walker
- Cam Atkinson
- Rasmus Ristolainen
- Nick Seeler
- Morgan Frost
- Carter Hart
- Marc Staal
- Louie Belpedio
- Sam Ersson
Morgan Frost: 2024 NHL Trade Deadline Candidate
The 2023-24 season started poorly for Morgan Frost. He found himself as the odd man out of the lineup too often. It seemed John Tortorella simply didn’t like the 24-year-old center’s style, regardless of his impressive scoring totals during the second half of the 2022-23 season.
Tortorella didn’t seem comfortable moving Frost to the wing, potentially because of the former top prospect’s underwhelming physicality in board battles. The Philadelphia bench boss sat Frost as a healthy scratch for the 11th time this season on Jan. 4.
What do teams with highly-skilled former top prospects do with players who don’t mesh well with a head coach and could benefit from a change of scenery? They trade them.
A Possible Turning Point
Frost approached Tortorella for a private conversation after the most recent benching. Could the private interaction be a turning point that helps both their futures in Philadelphia?
“I need the conversation, and I think he (Frost) took a big step. It’s going to help me try to help him. Where it all goes, I don’t know, but at least there’s a path there now.” -John Tortorella (Jan. 6)
If Frost’s attitude changed, it’s certainly helped him on the ice in the short term. The former 1st-round pick has nine points in eight games since his last benching. He’s posted a stellar 68.48% share of the expected goal share at 5-on-5, and he’s helped a dormant power play show signs of life.
Members of the Flyers organization tediously harped in recent seasons about the need for Frost to build confidence. The player himself admitted late in the 2022-23 season that he couldn’t keep waiting for good stretches to come before he regained confidence. It looked like it was never going to happen in Philadelphia.
Tortorella can be a stickler, but he’s candidly admitted enough times that he believes players should get angry when they’re benched. He respects players who carry themselves with a motivated attitude and the bold confidence to speak up for themselves. If Frost is finally fitting into that mold, maybe he’s finally growing on his head coach.
“I think that’s the only way that you can find a road to communicate and try to help a player. You guys may think benching a player is fun for coaches. You’re just pounding your chest. That’s not the way we feel. It’s trying to get someone’s attention, and it starts the conversation.” -Tortorella (Jan. 6)
Keith Jones also spoke on 97.5 The Fanatic during the offseason about the organization’s plan to make changes in their approach to player development. He invoked the haunting history of mistakes like moving Justin Williams and Patrick Sharp too soon. The supposed new era is supposed to be about patience and allowing young players who haven’t hit their stride.
“It’s about cultivating the young players, making sure your player development is allowing these players to progress.” -Keith Jones (May 30, 2023)
When the calendar turned to 2024, it looked like it would make sense for the Flyers to swap a struggling young player for a prospect from another NHL franchise who also needed a change of scenery. Morgan Frost still has a lot left to prove before the Flyers make a decision on his future at the NHL Trade Deadline. However, he’s reversed the narrative in just a few short weeks.
https://twitter.com/ToNewbyginnings/status/1748820182976319575
97.5 The Fanatic, the flagship radio partner of the Philadelphia Flyers, provides news, analysis, and outlook on the 2023-24 season.
6 Philadelphia Flyers Retired Numbers & 1 More That Deserves It
Bernie Parent #1
“Only the Lord saves more than Bernie Parent.”
Countless drivers in Philadelphia during the 1970s read the iconic bumper sticker about the future Hall of Fame goaltender. Parent accumulated Hall of Fame numbers over 13 NHL seasons, 10 of which included stints with the Flyers.
The real mark of his legacy came in the 1973-74 and 1974-75 seasons. He won the Vezina Trophy as the top goaltender in the NHL after both regular seasons. His 47 wins in 1973-74 stood as a league record until 2007.
Parent won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP for each of the only two Stanley Cups in franchise history after both of his Venzina seasons. The famed Broad Street Bullies built their reputation on intimidation and grit, but they never would’ve sniffed a Stanley Cup without Bernie Parent between the pipes.
Mark Howe #2
Mark Howe played six seasons in the WHA to begin his professional career and didn’t make his debut with the Flyers until age 27. However, he established himself as the indisputable best defenseman in franchise history.
He still holds franchise records for goals, assists, points, shorthanded goals, and plus/minus rating among defensemen. Most of the blueliners behind him in the major statistical categories played more games with the Flyers. Howe published a book cleverly named Gordie Howe’s Son in 2013.
Eric Lindros #88
The Flyers made arguably the biggest splash in NHL history when they acquired the rights to Eric Lindros in 1992 after some lengthy drama. He was supposed to be the next Wayne Gretzky, and his dynamic skill and intimidating power didn’t disappoint when he was on the ice. He won the Hart Trophy after the shortened 1994-95 season and helped the Flyers to an appearance in the 1997 Stanley Cup Final.
Concussions derailed the career of arguably the most talented hockey player ever to lace up the skates. He struggled to stay healthy in a stretch that infamously ended with a devastating hit from Scott Stevens in the 2000 Eastern Conference Final.
He ranks sixth in franchise history in scoring, but his 1.36 points per game average blows every other Flyers skater out of the water. The organization has properly moved on from disagreements with one of their all-time greats whose number has hung in the rafters of the Wells Fargo Center since 2018.
Claude Giroux #28
The Flyers were in Stanley Cup contention when Claude Giroux broke into the NHL. The crafty forward developed into the organizational centerpiece, but the team dragged through a forgettable era in franchise history during his captaincy.
Giroux is second in Flyers history in points, games played, and assists trailing only the legendary Bobby Clarke. He played on teams that won six total playoff series and recorded 73 postseason points, including an overtime goal in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2010. He has finished fourth or higher in Hart Trophy voting three times during his tenure in Philadelphia.
The Flyers will someday retire the number of one of their all-time greats who unfortunately never broke through with a Stanley Cup.
