Morgan Frost could take a step forward in his first full season as a Flame

The main piece the Calgary Flames received in the late-January trade with the Philadelphia Flyers was Morgan Frost.

On Jan. 30 , the Flames traded Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier, their 2025 second-round pick, and a 2028 seventh-round pick to the Flyers for Joel Farabee and Frost. We looked at Farabee’s report card the other day, with the 25-year-old posting limited production after the trade.

At the time, it felt as if Farabee was involved in the deal to match Kuzmenko’s contract without retention. It’s worth noting that Farabee is a two-time 20-goal scorer, so it wasn’t quite a cap dump, but Frost seemed to be the main return for the Flames.

With all that being said, let’s take a look at what Frost’s expectations were after the trade and how he performed after the trade.

Frost’s 2024-25 expectations

Selected 27th overall in the 2017 draft, Frost became a regular with the Flyers in 2022-23, scoring a career-high 19 goals and 46 points in 81 games. He followed that up with a 13-goal, 41-point season in 71 games the year after. With the Flyers in 2024-25, Frost scored 11 goals and 25 points in 49 games, on pace for 18 goals and 41 points.

Post-trade, Frost was expected to be a defensive-minded middle-six centre who slotted in on the Flames’ first power-play unit. That’s a heavy responsibility for the 25-year-old, but let’s take a look at how he did after the trade.

How Frost did in 2024-25

Of the two players the Flames acquired in the trade, Frost was the far more productive player. His three goals were the same total as Farabee’s, but Frost also picked up nine assists, giving him 12 points in 32 games. For the season, Frost finished with 14 goals and 37 points, slightly down from his totals in 2023-24.

Frost scored two goals during five-on-five action, as well as two assists. The rest of his points came on the man advantage, with four of his seven assists being of the primary variety. With that said, Frost wasn’t a game-changer for the power play after the trade, with the Flames having around the same percentage to end the season as they did before the trade.

Next season’s expectations

The centre position remains a sore spot for the Flames heading into next season. Who knows if they address it in free agency, but it’d be very nice to see Frost take a step forward and hit the 50-60 point mark.

With that being said, his realistic expectation is to be a good defensive-minded middle-six centre who can contribute around 40 points a season. If the Flames can get that type of production, it’ll be a good start to pushing for a playoff spot in 2025-26. As for his grade after the trade, Frost is graded a B-. He wasn’t bad by any means, but there is certainly room for improvement next season.