On January 9, Sportsnet produced a list of 25 trade prospects to keep an eye on before the March 8 trading deadline. Two weeks later, The Athletic published an article on ten players who are losing favor with their present clubs and are on the verge of being traded (from ‘NHL trade candidates beneath the radar: 10 players who are falling out of favor,’ The Athletic, Jan. 23, 2024). Only one player, Philadelphia Flyers center Morgan Frost, appeared on both.
At first glance, Frost’s presence on these lists makes perfect sense. The 24-year-old has appeared in just 39 of Philadelphia’s 50 games this season. That is not due to injury; head coach John Tortorella has healthy scratched Frost 11 times, including as recently as January 4. He’s scoring at a nearly comparable rate (0.567 points per game in 2022-23 and 0.564 in 2023-24), so it may appear that he’s plateauing. It was absolutely fair of Sportsnet to include Frost on its trade list at the time. And The Athletic’s inclusion of Frost demonstrates that the national view of Frost has not changed during January.
But it should be. Frost is not only playing well, but he appears to have regained the organization’s trust. Combine that with recent developments that make the Flyers’ future down the middle murkier, and Frost appears to be a far less likely trade candidate than he was just a few weeks ago.
Frost’s Step Forward
As previously stated, Tortorella last sat Frost on January 4 (along with Cam Atkinson) against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Frost was practically guaranteed a berth as a regular due to Noah Cates’ fractured foot. Between Cates’ injury in late November and January 4, Frost had seven points in 17 games and was sixth in ice time among Flyers forwards, with fewer than 30 seconds separating him from the next three forwards. Frost was fourth among Flyers during this period, with a 55.32% expected goals share, and the Flyers outscored opponents 8-5 when he was on the ice at 5-on-5. However, he was still not meeting Tortorella’s demands.
This changed in the days following the scratching. This time, Frost specifically requested a meeting with his head coach to discuss the situation. Some may consider it oversimplifying to claim that something as basic as a chat can change things. Tortorella, however, is not your typical head coach, and he has a history of pushing players in the hopes of kindling a fire under them. Frost’s appearance to speak with Tortorella revealed a spark.
“For me, I was thrilled that he came in and wanted to talk, and gave me some of his thoughts, and not agreeing,” Tortorella said on the morning of Jan. 5. “It’s a huge step for me when Frosty comes in and says, ‘This is what I think.'” It’s critical that players do that. It creates a tiny path for him and me as we try to go through this.
Since then, Frost has played arguably the finest hockey of his career, surpassing his performance as Philadelphia’s leading scorer in the second half of last season. Frost has appeared in all 12 Flyers games since (including Cates’ return on Jan. 15) and is tied for the club lead with 11 points. Only Cates has a greater anticipated goals for percentage than Frost’s 64.45%, and the Flyers continue to outperform opponents at 5-on-5 when Frost hops over the boards. Furthermore, after returning to the lineup, he has helped boost a once-struggling power play to 13th in the NHL (25%) with five power play points, the most on the Flyers.
