Greg WyshynskiJan 31, 2025, 01:01 AM ET
CloseGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
The Calgary Flames bolstered their pursuit of a playoff spot by acquiring forwards Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee from the Philadelphia Flyers for a package that includes forward Andrei Kuzmenko, the teams announced Thursday night.
The Flyers picked up Kuzmenko, forward Jakob Pelletier, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2028 seventh-rounder for Frost and Farabee. No salary was retained in the deal.
Flames general manager Craig Conroy said the initial framework for the deal was a one-for-one player trade between teams, but that it was expanded during negotiations.
“This came together pretty quick this morning, to be honest. We talked about these players last year and this year, but I think it never really made sense. It wasn’t the right time or right return,” Conroy said. “Today, it really sped up and made sense for both teams.”
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The Flames GM said Frost and Farabee are “a huge bump” in the Calgary lineup.
Frost, 25, has 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 49 games this season for the Flyers, who drafted him 27th in 2017. He was a frequent target of criticism and benching by coach John Tortorella over the past two seasons, as his playing time declined in each. Frost has a $2.1 million salary cap hit and is a restricted free agent after the season.
In his sixth NHL season, Frost gives Calgary a center its lineup has sorely needed.
Farabee, 24, has 19 points (8 goals, 11 assists) in 50 games this season. Drafted 14th by the Flyers in 2018, he has suffered a big drop in production from his career highs of 22 goals and 50 points last season, with his ice time declining by over a minute on average.
He is signed through 2028 at a cap hit of $5 million, after which he will become an unrestricted free agent.
Kuzmenko, 28, has 15 points (4 goals, 11 assists) in 37 games this season. He was held out of Calgary’s 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.
In his third NHL season, Kuzmenko has been unable to match his dynamic rookie campaign (39 goals and 74 points with Vancouver in 2022-23). He’s a former teammate of Flyers star rookie Matvei Michkov, as the two played together for St. Petersburg SKA in Russia’s KHL.
Kuzmenko is an unrestricted free agent after the season and has a $5.5 million cap hit.
Pelletier, 23, was drafted 26th overall in 2019 by the Flames. He had 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in 23 games for Calgary this season, averaging 12:57 ice time. Pelletier has 21 points in 60 career NHL games. He is a restricted free agent after the season.
The Flames have been a surprising playoff contender and hold the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with a .570 points percentage, slightly ahead of the Vancouver Canucks (.560).
The Flyers are four points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They’ve lost four of their past five games, getting shut out by the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders in the past two.
