The expectations for a first-round pick are always very high, but they increase even more when the pick that’s used to draft the player was acquired in a trade for an established NHL player. Hindsight is a blessing and a curse, and the latter may seem to be the way this trade had ended up for the Philadelphia Flyers and former first-round pick Morgan Frost.
Early on, the trade to acquire the 27th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, a conditional first round pick in 2018 (used to draft Joel Farabee), and Jori Lehtera’s contract as a cap dump was quite a move for a numerous amount of reasons for the Flyers. Now, they may be running out of options and patience with one of those picks that were used.
Despite this only being Frost’s fourth full NHL season, and third under head coach John Tortorella, his time may be running out in South Philadelphia. After a disappointing rookie year with only 16 points in 55 games, Frost exploded with 19 goals and 27 assists for 46 points in 81 games played in his second full season in 2022-23. He then followed that up with 13 goals and 28 assists for 41 points in just 71 games played last year.
This year, Frost is off to a very slow start, only scoring one goal and five assists in 15 games, and was a healthy scratch for the first time this season on Monday night against San Jose. It’s no secret that ever since Tortorella arrived, he and Frost have never seen eye to eye. Last year, after being notably in and out of the lineup, Frost had enough. He went directly to his coach.
“I had some things that I wanted to get off my chest,” Frost said at the time. “It was a good back and forth. I want to be in the lineup, obviously. I think I should be in the lineup. It’s kind of a wakeup call when you get pulled out like that.”
The start of the 2024-25 campaign has been rough for Frost and the Flyers, but to Tortorella’s credit, he stated he is “trying like hell” to keep the 25-year-old veteran youngster in the lineup. The follow-up question, though, was one that certainly stood out. When asked about Frost’s leash being short, Tortorella replied, “It certainly is.”
With that being said, the main question has to be asked: will Frost remain a Flyer and what are GM Danny Briere’s options?
Briere has made it known that he won’t make a trade just to make a trade. It needs to make sense. He will not throw Frost away for nothing. Could the solution to this seemingly inconsistent issue of Frost starting off slow be to finally move on from him, but for the right asset? That asset, of course, cannot be draft picks. It would need to be another top 6 center for a team already thin at the center position.
Philadelphia is exploring their options at center. Some names to keep an eye on, as noted by Anthony DiMarco of The Fourth Period, are Minnesota Wild young gun Marco Rossi, and the Buffalo Sabres’ Dylan Cozens.
Cozens is an intriguing option at 6’3”, 195 pounds. He certainly has the frame the Flyers would be looking for, but like Frost, is off to a very slow start with three goals and seven points in 16 games.
Cozens has put up some impressive numbers in the past, considering where he was playing in the lineup, and the type of talent surrounding him on some desperate Buffalo teams. He has a 30+ goal season under his belt and nearly 70 points (31G 31A) in 2022-2023, playing in 81 games, far more than Frost has accomplished in almost four seasons.
Cozens would be quite a fit for Tortorella, who not only has the size, but just as importantly the speed to keep up. The speed factor certainly isn’t a knock on Frost, but in this instance, a change of scenery could do both players some good.
The only issue with a potential Cozens trade is the report from Elliotte Friedman on the most recent episode of 32 Thoughts. Friedman reported that Sabres GM Kevyn Adams was asked about Cozens and that a few teams were interested in him. Adams shot those rumors down pretty quickly by saying “we’re not interested in doing that, how does that make me better? Unless Briere is able to throw a deal that’ll really help Buffalo, this one may be dead in the water at least for now.
It has been a difficult journey to the NHL for Rossi, who during his draft year had complications with COVID-19, causing a serious setback in his pro career. After finally making his NHL debut in 2021-22, he was fully playing in the NHL last year, appearing in all 82 games and scoring 40 points (21G 19A).
Rossi has a lot of untapped potential, the speed, and the IQ. He is an extremely gifted player, but may also be a risk to go after, mainly because of his size and some health concerns.
The biggest concern isn’t anything to do with the player, except his on-ice production is exceeding expectations. This would need to be quite the packaged deal for Minnesota, as Rossi is playing on the top line at the moment and is doing quite well with four goals and 13 points in 15 games.
One name that is not rumored, but could be a great fit for both sides, is Brendan Brisson of the Vegas Golden Knights. Brisson, who is only 23 years old and is looking to play in his first full season in the NHL, fits the profile for the age of players to acquire in a rebuild, adds some size to the lineup at 6’0” and 191 pounds, and could benefit tremendously from getting out of Vegas. There is simply no room for him to grow with the likes of William Karlsson, Jack Eichel, and last year’s NHL trade deadline big fish Tomas Hertl all playing center for the Golden Knights.
Frost in the meantime, would add incredible depth and skill to the Vegas lineup in hopes of adding another Stanley Cup to their trophy case. Although Frost would stay in the bottom six, he would instantly add plenty of value, and may truly find his scoring touch out west.
Even if Briere decides to hang onto the Ontario native for at least one more season, could he still be packaged in the offseason to finish this rebuild, or will Frost finally earn himself a long term contract one of these days? Time will tell just how much time Frost really has left to cement his spot in Philadelphia.
