Morgan Frost Got Sent Down, And That’s OK

With the NHL Regular Season fast approaching, the Philadelphia Flyers have begun whittling down their large preseason roster to the 23 man roster that the regular season  requires. This most recent round of cuts has raised a few eyebrows with the decision to keep forward Jackson Cates instead of center prospect Morgan Frost.

Frost has been met with some incredibly poor luck when trying to play at the NHL level. In his first year, the young player looked good in short stretches before the COVID-19 pandemic had the season stopped, and while he did travel with the team to the bubble, he didn’t play. Following that season, Frost suffered a shoulder injury after only two games of play.

All this is to say that Frost has not played a lot of hockey in the past year and a half. So the fact that Frost has failed to slot into the second or even third line center role left vacant by an injury to Kevin Hayes is not especially surprising. Frost admittedly did not look like much of anything in his return this preseason, looking especially mediocre when compared to other young players who stood out more than him.

Many on social media have been raking Frost across the coals for his play all preseason, and this demotion is sure to feed those flames. Despite these opinions, this move is almost certainly in favor of Frost’s development as opposed to a statement on his ability to succeed in the NHL.

Quotes from GM Chuck Fletcher and Head Coach Alain Vingeault this offseason have touched on the possibility that the staff have put young players in positions they aren’t yet ready for, and with the amount of time he’s missed, jamming him into a top six role is more likely to hurt than help him.

Morgan Frost is still a top prospect within the Flyers organization, and while it remains to be seen whether he will live up to that assessment, writing him off after a single preseason where he didn’t even look bad is incredibly premature. Arguments may emerge comparing Cates to Frost one for one, but these are being done in bad faith.

Jackson Cates is in a camp with players like Connor Bunnaman. They are serviceable 13th forwards, who can be jockeyed in and out of a lineup without worrying that their long-term development is at risk. With a player with a ceiling as high as Frost seems to have, letting him get acclimated back to full speed hockey in the minor leagues, with the possibility of a call-up later in the season is the best move available.