The Philadelphia Flyers are looking all but ready to kick off their 2023 training camp as they prepare for the upcoming season, but are still without key RFA Morgan Frost. The team hasn’t placed veteran defenseman Ryan Ellis on LTIR, but cap space doesn’t seem to be the reason why Frost is yet to extend. The 24 year old center finally had a productive season at the NHL level, and his next contract will be an important one.
46 points in 81 games is a good total for Frost, but he was also unable to crack the 20-goal plateau. Further complicating things is the pending return of longtime Flyers center Sean Couturier, meaning that Frost won’t receive the lion’s share of ice time in the middle of the ice again in 2023 as things stand. The Flyers’ decision comes down to A.) salary, based on how good they think Frost is/can be, and B.) a contract length that appropriately fits the conclusion they come to. Is the 27th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft worth all of that trouble, though?
#5. Buffalo Sabres
Making a move for Frost makes sense for a few teams, and the Buffalo Sabres are among them. The third-year Flyer probably won’t be a star, and in Buffalo he won’t have to be. In fact, he doesn’t even need to be a top-six center there. The Sabres can absolutely afford to pay him, and they have plenty of desirable assets for the Flyers to choose from, even though they won’t be offered many.
The Sabres already have two of the top young centers in the game – Dylan Cozens and Tage Thompson – locked into their top two lines. Aside from those two though, they only have the likes of Peyton Krebs, Zemgus Girgensons, and Tyson Jost, and the latter was on waivers during the 2022-23 season. If something happens to Cozens or Thompson, things will be looking very bad for the Sabres, and that’s not something they want as an aspiring playoff team.
Frost has already proven capable of producing in an expanded role, even if the point totals are ultimately average. On the Sabres, he would slot into the third line, which is mostly in line with his ceiling and abilities. From there, the team could move Krebs to Frost’s wing, move Jordan Greenway to the fourth line, shift Girgensons back to center, and have Jost serve as their 13th forward. The Sabres’ playoff hopes bode well with the increased depth and versatility.