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Andrei Kuzmenko, Calgary Flames (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Flames Trade Kuzmenko, Pelletier, Picks to Flyers for Frost, Farabee

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Jacob Billington | Last updated Jan 30, 2025 11:45 PM ET

The Calgary Flames have traded forwards Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier, a 2025 second-round draft pick, and a 2028 seventh-round draft pick to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee.

Both teams were in action as the trade was unraveling, and the Flames had announced that Kuzmenko was going to be a late scratch, and Pelletier was pulled from the game during the first intermission in the game against the Anaheim Ducks. Frost was pulled during the second intermission of the Flyers game against the New York Islanders.

Flyers Bring in Kuzmenko, Pelletier, Picks

Kuzmenko has had a unique path so far in the NHL. He signed with the Vancouver Canucks at a 26-year-old leaving the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in Russia, and in his first NHL season, posted 39 goals and 74 points. The next season, he struggled to score, netting just eight goals in 43 games for the Canucks. He was then traded to the Flames in a package for Elias Lindholm, and finished the year with 14 goals in 29 games. Similar to his second season with the Canucks, Kuzmenko’s second season with the Flames hasn’t gone so well.

With just four goals and 15 points in 37 games, he has been a healthy scratch a number of times and has fallen out of favor. The Flyers are bringing him in as a part of this deal, and they are hoping he can bounce back and start scoring some more goals this season. Kuzmenko is under contract for the remainder of this season, has a cap hit of $5.5 million, and will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Kuzmenko and Matvei Michkov played together in the KHL for St. Petersburgh, though Michkov only played a total of 13 games across three seasons. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Kuzmenko waived his no-trade clause to go to the Flyers.

As for Pelletier, he is a 23-year-old forward who has yet to play a full season in the NHL. With 23 games so far this season, he has four goals and 11 points. He has been limited to just under 13 minutes per game but has been effective in the short times he has played.

Pelletier has had a lot of success in the American Hockey League, scoring 130 points in 139 games across four seasons. He was selected 26th overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Flames and has had promising development since.

In addition to the two players coming back, the Flyers also got a pair of draft picks. A second-round pick has good value and can be used closer to the deadline if the Flyers look to make additional moves and stay close to the playoff race, or used to continue adding to their strong prospect pool. The seventh-round pick doesn’t hold much value, but good scouting can sometimes make magic happen.

Flames Add Farabee, Frost For Good Price

The Flames have been pretty public about wanting to add center depth. They have been looking for most of the season, and Frost fits the bill.

In 2022-23, Frost set a career-high of 61 points. He hasn’t been able to reach that mark again, and in each season since, his average ice time has dropped. Frost is good on the faceoff and has won 51.7 percent of his draws this year. He isn’t very physical and isn’t regarded as a strong defensive center, but he can handle his own.

Frost is a good middle-six option for the Flames and with their current hunt for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Frost is also just 25 years old, so there is still room to take another step in his development. He will likely play on the second line, alongside Farabee, and bump Mikael Backlund down to the third line, which makes for a tremendous improvement on their center depth.

Frost is currently under contract for $2.1 million for the rest of this season and will be a restricted free agent upon the season’s end unless extended.

Bringing in Farabee will also be a big addition to the Flames, and will likely slide in the top-six group. Farabee is having a down season with the Flyers, having just eight goals and 19 points through 50 games. Farabee posted a career-high of 50 points last season, and has been a reliably productive winger throughout his six seasons with the Flyers.

Farabee has some term left on his contract, with three seasons after this one at $5 million per season.

Having both Frost and Farabee to be able to inject into the lineup is a significant upgrade on what roster pieces are moving out. While Pelletier was a valuable piece to the team, the two new players are slightly older and more established.

Giving up the two picks isn’t hurtful to the Flames. While a second-round pick is always nice to have, the Flames currently have two first-round picks in each of the next two drafts, and will still have a second-round pick in both drafts as well.