Morgan Frost and the Flyers need to find a solution

Morgan Frost has often been a polarizing figure amongst Flyers fans. There’s the group that believes he has had far too many chances and does not belong. There’s the other group that feels his chances have not been fair and that he’s been held to a different standard. Whichever side you are on, one things is clear. There needs to be a decision once and for all on where Frost stands in this organization.

Frost has been a healthy scratch for seven of the Flyers 13 games this season. He appeared in the first two games before sitting the next six. He came back in for four more games before being taken out once again. Could an embarrassing loss to the Sharks get him back in? Who’s to say at this point.

Frost entered the season hoping to build upon what he did toward the end of the 2022-23 campaign. He posted a career high 19 goals and 46 assists while appearing in all but one game last season. He led the Flyers in scoring in the latter half of the year. It was easily the best season of his young career. So why did it take until right up until just before training camp to get him signed? That’s where John Tortorella may come in. It’s evident that he is still not completely sold on Frost. Remember, he likened the young forward’s play to that of a toilet seat once before.

So Frost came into training camp with something to prove. He didn’t do anything especially noteworthy in camp but did lead the team in scoring during the preseason, though all four of his points were assists. The regular season came around and after two games in which Frost was rather ineffective, the hook came out. Tortorella was rather blunt in talking about things, simply saying that others were playing better. There’s truth to that as Frost’s 40.00 CF% was the worst on the team and his 24.42 xGF% was second only to that of Owen Tippett’s (20.18 xGF%).

However, two games isn’t a big sample size at all. Another factor in this was that Tortorella was trying to get both Bobby Brink and Tyson Foerster in the lineup. Taking the chance he could to do so meant Frost was the odd man out. So there he was in a suit on the bench for the home opener. The look on his face said it all. And there he stayed for six consecutive games even as Tortorella admitted that he needed to get him back in. Back in he came and while the points didn’t come, Frost was arguably one of the best play-drivers since reentering the lineup.

Starting with even strength, Frost had the best CF% (58.54) amount all Flyers forwards. Only Nick Seeler had a higher percentage in those four games. His 63.82 xGF% was only behind, surprisingly enough, Nic Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway among forwards. Bump that up to all strengths and Frost was doing everything but putting up points. He had a 66.07 CF% and an incredible 73.55 xGF%. Frost was setting up chance after chance and couldn’t help it if his teammates weren’t able to finish. Tyson Foerster is one of those Frost has played on a line with and he’s been incredibly snake bitten to start the season.

But the Flyers were shutout 5-0 by the Kings and Sean Couturier was entering the lineup after missing two games so someone had to come out. Why not make it the player who is already on the bubble of the lineup anyway? Why does it matter if the Flyers are driving play by a massive amount with Frost on the ice? If the points aren’t coming, why does any of it matter? That is clearly the point being made here. Frost still has zero points on the season and that’s what matters in the end.

Why not have Frost play against a Sharks team that couldn’t keep the puck out of their net? Why not allow him to continue building confidence by seeing pucks go in the back of the net? There’s no guarantee he would’ve scored or found a way to register a point. But if that’s the basis of your argument, why not continue to put him in situations where he can succeed?

It has gotten to the point where more harm is likely being done than good. Frost has become the scapegoat and unfairly so. For a player that doesn’t have the strongest two-way play, points are always how he’s going to be judged. And that’s not fair to him when he seems to be the only one who has a short leash. Is this to say that Frost is completely innocent in all of this? Of course not. If he isn’t going to be a consistent play-driver, he is going to have to find a way to score himself. One good season does not make a career.

But in a season in which the Flyers are looking to see which players can be a long-term part of the future, scratching Frost every time the team has a bad game goes against everything that has been said. This team is not going to contend or find a way to sneak into a playoff spot. This is the time that the team should truly be figuring out if Frost has a future. But considering he has sat more than he has played at this point, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

The Flyers need to find a solution in regard to what they’re going to do with Frost. Because as of right now, what they’re doing is not fair to him and does not give him the chance to show the Flyers what he has to offer. Even if he finds a way back into the lineup against the Ducks, it won’t matter if he continues to be in and out of the lineup whenever Tortorella feels like it. Hold other players to the same standard as you do Frost. Make a decision and stick to it.

Play Frost because you think he’s a part of the future. Play Frost because you want to showcase him to other teams. Play Frost because he doing everything he can to make an impact. Whatever the reasoning is, things cannot continue to trend the way they are.

This saga has to come to an end once and for all no matter what the final solution is.