Scout’s Analysis: What Flames, Flyers get in four-player trade
In a late Thursday night swap, the Flames acquired Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost in exchange for Jakob Pelletier and Andrei Kuzmenko. Jason Bukala takes a look at what each team gets in this four-player trade.
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Earlier this season, when expectations were low, there was some question if the Calgary Flames would sell off one or two of their better veteran players to regroup and look to better days ahead.
Nazem Kadri, under contract for another four seasons, was one of them. Still a solid complementary player, did the 34-year-old centre still figure into Calgary plans? And what about Rasmus Andersson, a terrific defender in his prime at 28 years old, but one year away from free agency. Would the Flames look at trading him out early to maximize the return rather than looking at trading him as a rental a year from now?
All those questions seemed to wash away as the Flames have remained in the playoff hunt at the 50-game mark. In fact, they hold the Western Conference’s second wild card spot Friday morning and are just three points behind Colorado, with two games in hand.
So, rather than sell off, this team turned into a buyer. Though still with an eye to the future.
In a late Thursday night swap the Flames acquired 24-year-old winger Joel Farabee, a two-time 20-goal scorer in the midst of a down season and making more money ($5 million) than his production would indicate he’s worth. Calgary also attained Morgan Frost, bringing in the centre they were rumoured to be seeking. Frost, son of former Maple Leafs arena announcer Andy, has been in trade rumours for a couple seasons now and never found a fit with the Flyers, which also hampered his ability to reach his scoring potential.
Both Frost and Farabee were first-round picks — the former 27th overall in 2017, the latter 14th overall in 2018. Betting on mid-20s players with that kind of pedigree is a good way for Calgary to straddle the line — trying to be competitive in the present and improving the outlook in the future.
The other way goes Andrei Kuzmenko, who scored 39 goals in his first NHL season with the Canucks, a 27.3 per cent shooting mirage. A UFA at season’s end, it’s quite possible the Flyers could walk away from the player and have an eye on freeing up cap space.
The more interesting player going back to the Flyers is Jakob Pelletier, the 26th overall pick in 2019 who began this season going unclaimed on waivers. After beginning at nearly a point-per-game pace over a quarter season’s worth of AHL games, he was recalled back up and played his way into Calgary’s lineup, including carving out a space on the penalty kill. The youngest player in this deal, Pelletier is the X-Factor here — can the Flyers and John Tortorella tap his full potential?
The Flyers also picked up a 2025 second-rounder and a 2028 seventh-rounder. They now have 13 picks in the upcoming draft.
For more on the players involved in the deal, we turn to our scout Jason Bukala.
SCOUT’S ANALYSIS
I recently went on record stating the Calgary Flames should stand pat with their group as they battle for a playoff spot down the stretch. The reason I took that position was because I felt the Flames had a tight knit dressing room that wanted to work hard for each other every night. The group is building up scar tissue as they work towards a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs. They are learning something about each other in high leverage, meaningful games.
When you’re a young-ish team like the Flames, a trade can upset the mood of the group and potentially have an effect on their motivation. The only way a trade would have made sense for Calgary, I thought, is if they went out and acquired a player (or players) that fit the mold of their group.
Well, on Thursday night, Flames GM Craig Conroy went out and improved his group both now and in the future by acquiring Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee from the Philadelphia Flyers.
Here’s my scouting breakdown of the deal between the Flames and Flyers:
To Calgary: Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee
Frost is a skilled forward who should, in time, slot into the Flames’ top-six forward group and land on the top power play unit. He averaged only 15 minutes of ice time with the Flyers, all of which came at even strength and the power play. Frost is capable of skating closer to 20 minutes per game and I expect his offence to go to another level as a result.
Frost is average defensively, but his combination of speed and skill is an upgrade for Calgary compared to what Kuzmenko and Pelletier were providing. He wins over 50 per cent of his face-offs, can play the bumper on the power play, and lead zone entries off the breakout. Frost has fantastic puck touch. He’s produced 11 goals and 14 assists so far this season, but I believe he has more playmaking ability on the horizon. I like his vision and ability to move pucks accurately to his linemates when they are in motion. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Frost contribute over 60 points next season.
Frost is a pending RFA at the end of the year and is currently making $2.1 million. His qualifying offer is set for $2.4 million in the off-season. If things go well down the stretch, I expect the Flames will attempt to sign Frost to a long-term extension beyond next season.
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Farabee’s offensive contribution is down this year compared to his last two seasons in Philadelphia, but I believe he has the upside to contribute a secondary layer of scoring for the Flames. Farabee is a middle-six forward who can play fast and extend plays in the hard areas. When he isn’t scoring, he pushes back physically and plays with an edge. He’s even willing to drop the mitts and fight on occasion.
Farabee is signed through the 2027-28 season at a $5 million cap hit. Philadelphia must have projected Farabee as a top-six forward when they extended him in the fall of 2021, but then he went on to score 32 goals and 41 assists combined in the two seasons after he signed his extension. In order for his contract to age the way it was projected to, I’m anticipating more than the eight goals and 11 assists he’s produced so far this year. He definitely has the potential to contribute closer to 50 points per season (a total he reached last season), in addition to his competitive overall game.
To Philadelphia: Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier
Kuzmenko is a pending UFA currently making $5.5 million against the cap. His numbers have fallen off dramatically since he first arrived in the NHL in the fall of 2022 and proceeded to contribute 39 goals and 35 assists with the Vancouver Canucks. He ended up playing 66 games for the Flames over two seasons and posting 18 goals and 22 assists.
Kuzmenko is barely adequate defensively. His attention to detail in his zone, or off the puck on the back check, has never been his strong suit. I’m not sure Philadelphia sees a fit for him beyond this season, but I know for certain Tortorella will be pulling out his hair attempting to get Kuzmenko to play with more all-round detail — especially when he isn’t scoring.
I’m pulling for Pelletier to kickstart the rest of his career after this trade. I have always appreciated his approach to the game. Pelletier plays with energy, enthusiasm, sound defensive detail and has potential to contribute secondary offence at the NHL level. He isn’t elite in any one category, and he isn’t a big player, but he’s quick to space and a very likeable teammate.
Pelletier is a pending RFA at the end of the season and currently makes $800,000 against the cap. His qualifying offer this summer is set at $840,000.
